Last Ancient
by runick4
Summary: On that Halloween night, Harry saves his twin, damaging his magic; Left on Privet drive, he grows up on his When he is eight, he starts doing freaky things that he can't understand; Discovering Merlin's hologram at Glastonbury Tor gives him a real family, and changes the fate of the Galaxy; Squib!Harry, Telekinetic!Harry, some Pic is basic model of scout ship
1. Prologue

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything of either Harry Potter or Stargate

Thanks to the stories Oma's choice, The Next Great Adventure, and Fighting the Gods. These are all really good Hp/SG crossovers and if you haven't read them, I encourage you to do so, they were part of what inspired me to (finally) write this fic.

Prologue

July 3, 1987

Little Whinging Public Library

Harry wasn't a very sociable child. Where other children often spent their time running around and screaming at the top of their lungs, he spent most of his time in the Library, his Sanctuary.

At school, he had no friends, no real mentors, no one that really cared what he did. He was 'that troubled child', the one whose parents died from drinking and driving and was taken in by the Dursleys out of the goodness of their hearts.

He scoffed at the thought. The Dursleys had no hearts. Petunia and Vernon were married, but they did not truly care for each other. He could see it, the way that they had no shows of affection for each other, while they gushed over their whale of a son. It was almost…sad.

Not that he really cared for them though. As long as he could remember, they had hated him. He had vague memories of a smile, of music and laughter and green eyes much like his own. But after a while he dismissed them as wishful thinking, a hope for love in a house in which he received none. Hell, the Dursleys treated him like he was a disease they could never be rid of, something to be ignored and hated at all costs. And he had done nothing to them.

They said he was unnatural, freaky, a thing, but when had he done anything that was out of the norm for a kid? Besides reading. Or staying indoors (though that was mostly because of Dudley), or never showing a smile or any other emotion in their presence(again, the Dursleys fault). It was like they expected him to turn them all into toads.

He could tell that it unnerved his teachers in school, how quickly he picked things up, how he always knew the right answer, but to be honest, he couldn't really care what they thought. It wasn't like they cared about him. It wasn't like anyone actually cared about him, so who would care if he just disappeared?

He shook his head wistfully. He was not the most physically inclined kind of person, especially because of his age. It would be insane, idiotic, to leave the Dursleys for the unknown , even with the slaps and punches and verbal abuse every day. For all he knew, he could be kidnapped by one of those 'bad men' that their teachers in school were always warning them about.

He gasped lightly from his seat as a painful twinge made its way through his heart. That was the fourth time this week, and the second one today. He knew it had nothing to do with his heart, and it felt too sharp for growing pains, but other than that, he had no clue. He doubted it was something that would kill him, after all, what kind of childhood sickness would allow him to live this long without medical intervention? He also knew that even if it were something that was life threatening, the Dursleys would hardly take him to the hospital. They would be happy if the _freak, _the _burden_ in their lives was gone for good, six feet under, pushing daisies, and so on.

Harry shook his head to clear out the unwanted thoughts. He hadn't come to library to ponder his unhappy life. He had come here to study more maths, given that the multiplication tables he had already mastered weren't even taught until third grade. And so, he had brought a few scraps of paper from Vernon's office, along with a few stubby pencils, to take some notes. He only had until midday before he had to leave.

By the time he returned home, the pains had happened twice more, and in smaller intervals than the last two. He was starting to feel just a little worried. He had a decent pain tolerance, mostly thanks to Dudley and his little gang, but the last pain had really hurt, enough to make him hiss loudly.

He started to do the cooking, hearing the slam of the door that told him Dudley had come home from the park. His cousin was a menace, a fat bully that chased all of the other children around the park and acted like he was the king of the world. He heard the TV switch on and let out a sigh of relief. The boy took almost every opportunity that he could to get Harry in trouble, messing with the chores he was given, tearing up his homework, you name it, Dudley had done it. And of course, since he was the perfect child that could do no wrong, his parents ignored anything the remotely said he did something bad, even his teachers at school. Harry hid a small smile at the letter the school nurse had sent them with her concerns over his cousin's weight. The boy was only seven and he was already considered overweight, nearly obese.

"BOY! WHY HAVEN'T YOU FINISHED DINNER YET!" And there was his uncle. Never mind the fact that the man usually came home much later in the evenings, if the dinner was not finished by the time he came home, he would blame Harry.

He waited until his uncle came into the room, knowing that the man would say he was 'yelling in the house' otherwise. "I'm sorry for not starting sooner sir, I'll finish it in about twenty minutes." He said, not quite soft, but enough to be deferential, submissive. He hated acting like that, but he knew it was better than inciting his uncle's anger with 'disrespectful behavior'.

The man's beady little eyes narrowed in on him before the man grunted and moved off into the living room. Harry waited until he was sure that the man was gone before turning around to continue working on the dinner.

After he had been allowed his scraps, he quietly made his way to the cupboard under the stairs, wincing at the pains. He knew something was dreadfully wrong with him, but he also knew that the Dursleys would not really care if he keeled over, unless it somehow got them in trouble. He smiled in morbid humor. That would be ironic, given the reputation they provided for him within Little Whinging.

* * *

It wasn't until the house was asleep that he felt something…wrong. He blearily opened his eyes, and then screwed them shut as pain overcame him. It was everywhere, every nerve and muscle of his body felt like they were in agony, that there was something like fire…no, lightning tearing him apart from the inside.

And then, suddenly, he felt something within him _snap_, and what felt like a torrent of cooling water moved through him, soothing his pains. Exhausted from the ordeal, he collapsed, not noticing the faint streams of white light moving around him before they disappeared.

* * *

Posted: 5/23/13

Edit 7/13/13: People kept on telling me about the hospitals being paid for in britain, so I have finally changed it; now it says the Dursleys would never take him to the hospital instead of pay for him to go.


	2. Chapter 1

Last time:

_It wasn't until the house was asleep that he felt something… He blearily opened his eyes, and then screwed them shut as pain overcame him. It was everywhere, every nerve and muscle of his body felt like they were in agony, that there was something like fire…no, lightning tearing him apart from the inside._

_And then, suddenly, he felt something within him break, and what felt like a torrent of cooling water moved through him, soothing his pains. Exhausted from the ordeal, he collapsed, not noticing the faint streams of white light moving around him before they disappeared._

Ch1:

October 16, 1987

Harry never really could figure out what had happened that night. He remembered that strange feeling of something like a dam bursting within him, but not much else. If it wasn't for the _changes_, he would have completely dismissed the whole event as a dream. But it couldn't have been, not with the _freakish_ things that had been happening around him since that day.

At first, it hadn't really been that noticeable. He had found himself avoiding Dudley much more easily, somehow knowing that the other boy was after him before the other could get him. But then, it started to get weird, like the fact that when his Aunt had tried to shave his head for school pictures, yet the scissors were not able to cut it. He still had no idea how that had happened, but the sight of the scissors failing to cut through his hair had sent his aunt into hysterics, shrieking "it can't it can't" at the sight of him. Her reaction had been strange, but he had quickly dismissed it. She probably thought that she had been hallucinating or something, even if the entire family remembered it happening.

Then there was the incident during recess, when Dudley was chasing him with his gang. He had known that they would soon have him cornered, and with desperation, had jumped upward onto a trash bin, hoping to get away. Instead of landing on top of the bin, he somehow managed to land on the roof several feet above it. His uncle had thrown him into the cupboard for that one.

And his eyes…he knew that he had needed to squint at the board before to see, and half the time he still read things wrong. The school had recommended that his relatives take him to see an optometrist, but when had they ever done anything for him? It didn't really matter now though, he could see just fine. The teachers attributed it to growth, and none of them raised the issue again.

After several more of these strange events, Harry found himself lost, not knowing what to do with himself. He knew that he was something different, special now. As far as he knew there weren't any other people that could jump twenty feet but he kept it quiet, knowing that his relatives would be absolutely useless for any help with his strange powers.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard his teacher call his name for the roll call. He rose his hand obligingly before continuing with his thoughts. His second grade class was going on a field trip to Glastonbury, with several of the nonworking parents as chaperones. Normally, he would not have had his permission slip signed, but this was a field trip for the entire grade, and so he was going whether his relatives wanted him to or not. His aunt Petunia had offered herself as a chaperone, mostly so that she could gossip with the other mothers instead of spying on the neighbors the whole way; and to a lesser extent, so she could keep an eye on him and his 'freakishness'.

Harry was sitting alone on the black leather seat, as usual. Dudley had done a good job of driving away other students since his very first day of school. Not that it really bothered Harry, he found the other children to be cruel and thoughtless on the best of days. But still, it allowed him to think on his own, without someone pestering him incessantly.

The bus ride was long, at least three hours, but they had left early enough in the morning that it didn't make too much of their day away. They arrived at the parking lot and were immediately led toward the Glastonbury Tor by an overly cheerful tour guide.

He did not like overly cheerful people.

With a slight facial tic, he followed his classmates around the streets of the town, and then up the long sloping hill that the tor was located on. Harry felt a strange fuzzy sensation in his head the closer he got to the tower, not like someone that was drugged, but more like the feeling he got whenever his powers came out. He barely managed to keep himself from panicking, his face forced to be blank. And yet nothing happened besides the strange feeling growing stronger.

When they finally reached the tower he felt like he was surrounded by something almost…_alive._ There was something here, feeling the people that were here, like it was….testing them somehow? He felt the energy focus on him and barely held back a gasp. It felt like the water from that night, moving through his body like a river and yet not. He stood in place, transfixed, as the energy surrounding the tower seemed to pulse before the tour guide abruptly decided that they had spent more than enough time standing at the Tor. Quickly, the entire group moved away, not one of them noticing Harry standing there as the energy held him in place.

Harry felt his heart racing as a sense of _curiousness_ seemed to emanate from the energy holding him hostage. He felt a tug, almost like someone had tied a rope around his midsection, and he found himself moving towards the center of the Tor. He tried to move his legs, arms, scream, _something. _But nothing that he did made him stop, and before he knew it a deep humming sound surrounded him, and floating rings came out of the ground, stacking like magnets.

And then, nothing.

* * *

Harry came to consciousness slowly, feeling like he was laying on concrete. As he blearily opened his eyes, he gaped at his surroundings. He was in some kind of cave. It was very hard for him to see, there was only a slight greenish glow by what appeared to be water. He slowly got up, feeling a strange tingling in his limbs, but ignoring it for now. He hated dark places, absolutely hated them. Sleeping in a cold dark space had desensitized him to fear of the dark, but that did not mean that he wanted to be in there in the first place. He hated not being able to see around him, to know if something was going to attack him. It was a lesson that he had learned all too well from his Cousin; if you did not pay attention to your surroundings then it was much easier for you to get hurt.

Slowly, he shuffled forward, ears straining to hear something, anything that could be a threat. His imagination, the only thing that had kept him sane with all these years of isolation, was going wild with images of wolves or bears or even monsters that lived in caves and ate innocent travelers. The strange green glow never wavered, and squinting in the gloom, he wished that he could see better. He closed his eyes for a moment, knowing from experience that it would help him adjust to the darkness. When he opened them again the green light seemed to have spread, as he could see better in the gloomy room.

Vaguely, he could see the shape of something sticking out of a pedestal, it looked almost like…a sword?

A bit nonplussed, Harry moved forward to the pedestal. A low humming sound reverberated around him, and he jumped back, remembering the strange rings surrounding him. Instead of the rings that he expected though, a white light filled the room as an image of an old man with a long white beard and staff came into being.

"Welcome young member of my Race!" The hologram spoke softly, forcefully, yet there was a hint of power in his voice.

Harry stood still, completely unsure of what to do to say. Eventually, he managed to squeak out "What?"

He promptly flushed in embarrassment.

The strange man seemed to hold the bridge of his nose before saying. "You..are…a…member….of….my….race."

Harry scowled at him for the patronizing tone. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked, not caring at all about the swear. Vernon had said far worse things in his presence after all.

The image seemed to sigh. "How to explain it….Mr. ?"

"Potter, Harry Potter." Harry winced a bit when he realized he sounded like a parody of James Bond. Not that he had seen the movies, but it was referenced enough in pop culture for him to know about it.

"Well Mr. Potter, I am a…copy of the mind of Merlin, also known as Moros nearly ten thousand years ago."

Harry snorted. "And I'm the easter bunny."

The image scowled, before shaking his head. "You will think what I am saying is impossible, but I ask that you listen to me before making any judgements." Not that he expected that much for a child. They were notorious bad at controlling what came out of their mouths.

Harry rolled his eyes slightly, before shaking his head and waving for the so-called Merlin to continue.

"I am a member of a race known as the Alterans, and before that…the Lanteans. We were a powerful race, having a recorded history of millions of years-"

"I call bullshit!" Harry shouted, his eyes narrowed and disbelieving.

Merlin returned the glare before saying."I will show you proof if you let me finish."

Harry scowled at him but closed his mouth.

"As far as we knew, we were the first race to evolve in our part of the universe, a galaxy far away from this one." Harry gave him a disbelieving look but kept his mouth shut. Space travel? Really? This was beginning to sound like something out of Star Wars.

"From this power, our people grew arrogant. Some believed that our power was so great that we should be considered gods, and this eventually led to a divide in the beliefs of our people. My people, fearing prosecution from the more fanatical of this group, gathered together and fled, believing that we could explain the mysteries of the Universe through science and not through religion. We came upon this galaxy and decided to call it home…."

From there, Merlin explained how his people settled on Earth, which they named Terra. He recounted countless years of wars and advancement and alliances, each word making Harry seem more and more confused. If these people were so powerful, then why weren't they still around?

That was answered when Merlin spoke of a great sickness that even their technology could not cure, and how the Ancients, or the Alterans as they were then known, were forced to abandon earth and flee the galaxy, settling in another, nearby dwarf galaxy. He spoke of the great war with the Wraith, a powerful race of nigh-invincible creatures that literally sucked out the life of their victims using their hands. The war was eventually lost, and the Ancients, now known as the Lanteans, fled Pegasus back to the Milky way. Some of them resettled on Earth while trying to avoid attention from the now populated planet, while others decided to ascend, leaving their bodies behind and becoming beings of energy.

When the hologram finally finished, Harry felt like he had a headache.

"So let me get this straight: You are a copy of a man of a race that used to fly around in space and died out." Merlin nodded.

"And I am the descendant of one of these people?" Again, the hologram nodded.

"Then where are all the other ones?" Harry asked, unable to believe that he was the only person with special powers. After all, if he was a descendant of these people, then his parents and their parents and their parents had to be the same.

Merlin seemed to hesitate here. "They call themselves Witches and Wizards."

Harry stared at the man, his jaw twitching as he tried to keep himself from laughing out loud.

"Witches and Wizards are real?" He managed to ask, his voice easily betraying his amusement.

Merlin nodded resignedly. "They have no idea of their true history, and when I was last with them, they were arrogant, much like the Ori that forced my people to leave our home galaxy. I tried to show them the proper way, but they did not listen, not really. They abused their power, creating great creatures and horrible monsters that likely plague the world today."

"But I've never heard of anything like that.." Harry said unsurely.

"Really?" Merlin looked almost amused. "You have never heard of dragons?"

Harry's mouth opened and closed, trying to form the words. _Dragons were real? _

Merlin's mouth twitched. "Yes there are many things in the world that have been hidden by the wizards." Then his face smoothed out. "But that is not why you are here."

Harry gave the hologram a confused look. "Then why…."

"Did I bring you here?" Merlin asked.

Harry nodded.

"Simply put, you are the first of our descendants to come here before becoming completely ruined by the mentality of the Wizards."

Harry felt more than a little put down by that admission. "So you would just take the first person that suited you?"

Merlin gave the boy an annoyed look. "Oh don't look so pitiful. If you had waited a moment, I would have explained further."

Harry made a small disbelieving noise before crossing his arms.

"When you were brought close to the tower, I had you scanned. Your for lack of a better term…magical core, was damaged early in your life, and because of that, your body reverted to the abilities that my race was known for."

"Damaged how?" Harry managed to ask timidly.

The man actually gave him a sympathetic glance. "Damaged in that you would never be able to manipulate external energy in the same way as the wizards."

Harry felt a small stab in his heart at that admission, looking down.

"But the good thing is that your latent abilities, those of our race, are still there, inside you, albeit strengthened from your wizard abilities." The man finished, rolling his eyes at the suddenly happy look on Harry's face.

"Now…can you guess why I'm telling you all this?" He ventured.

Harry closed his eyes, trying to understand. Merlin had told him something that seemed to be only a story, but for some reason, he believed the image of the man. And if the story was true, then….

Abruptly, he sat down, feeling all of the new information crash down on him.

Amused, the image of Merlin seemed to kneel in front of him. "Just now sinking in?"

Harry nodded vacantly, eyes somewhere else.

Merlin chuckled. "Well then, let me explain some more."

Several hours later found Harry nursing a headache, an empty stomach, and a parched mouth. Not that it was anything new to him, he had survived worse at the Dursleys after all.

"Well, I think that I've given you enough to think about for today." The hologram said wistfully. "Now, I have just one more thing to give you."

There was a small flash of light, and a small silver chain with a triquetra pendant appeared on top of the pedestal.

"This pendant will allow you to come back here whenever you wish." Merlin said. "I have many things that I would like to teach you further, but I know that you will need to get going soon."

Harry gave the hologram an unreadable look, his mask slipping back on now that he was leaving. But the intelligence behind the hologram could tell that Harry was confused, and probably unhappy with having to leave so soon.

"Until next time." Merlin said softly, and Harry felt that strange pulling apart sensation before he disappeared from the cave.

* * *

Aunt Petunia hadn't been very pleased with his disappearing act, but he had a feeling that it was more because he had managed to come back and not because he had been lost in the first place. He ignored her disdain for him, as usual, and followed the rest of his school back to the buses when it was time to leave. His mind was elsewhere, focusing on the incredible things that Merlin had told him. To think that there was an entire hidden world of witches and wizards was mind-boggling, especially since if they were as arrogant as Merlin had described them, he would have thought that they would have tried to assert their dominance over the regular population.

And then there was the whole you-are-a-member-of-a-race-that-is-millions-of-yea rs-old side of things. The thought that humanity, as a people, had been created by another, older and version of themselves was something that was hard to fully grasp. The level of technology to just casually create a race….He shook his head.

He gently fingered the pendant around his neck, wondering how Aunt Petunia had not spotted it yet. She was usually the first in the household to notice if there was anything he had on his person that she believed he didn't deserve. But when she looked at him, her eyes seemed to slide off of his neck and onto his face. It was strange.

The days that passed after that fateful field trip were pretty much the same as always. The Dursleys gave him his chores, he made sure to do worse at his grades than Dudley, and he tried to keep attention off of himself at all times when at school. He was at the point of considering just skipping school, but he knew that would get him in trouble, and then that in turn would make his relative angrier than usual at him for the hassle of the school calling them.

It wasn't until Halloween that he had a chance to get out of the house, and grasped the pendant tightly, feeling a bit foolish for doing so. But his fears were put to rest when he felt that same strange feeling come over him again, and he disappeared in a flash of amber light.

* * *

Note:

I will try not to make this a Super!Godlike!Harry like Heir of Atlantis, Harry's magic was bound from a young age, thanks to the damage of the killing curse. Unfortunately, being a twin, his parents assumed that all accidental magic that had occurred from before then was due to his brother, and praised him all the more while sending him away for protection

The binding was removed by his 'magic', but thanks to the damage,it is different, more internalized. For all intents and purposes, Harry is an Alteran, telekinetic. He will be unable to use spells, but is able to use his energy to move around objects with only the force of his mind.

Posted: 5/23/13


	3. Chapter 2

Last time:

_The days that passed after that fateful field trip were pretty much the same as always. The Dursleys gave him his chores, he made sure to do worse at his grades than Dudley, and he tried to keep attention off of himself at all times when at school. He was at the point of considering just skipping school, but he knew that would get him in trouble, and then that in turn would make his relative angrier than usual at him for the hassle of the school calling them._

_It wasn't until Halloween that he had a chance to get out of the house, and grasped the pendant tightly, feeling a bit foolish for doing so. But his fears were put to rest when he felt that same strange feeling come over him again, and he disappeared in a flash of amber light._

Ch2: Since when do I have a family?

July 28, 1991

Harry, for the first time in his life, was actually happy with his life. And though he hated to admit it, it was thanks to that blasted hologram of Merlin.

The image of the man, despite not being corporeal, was a hard taskmaster. He felt that if Harry was to actually become the heir of his race's legacy, then he would have to work hard for it. Harry complained a little, but if he was honest with himself, he was happy with the work that the man was giving him. His teachers in school never truly believed in his ability, thinking that he was dumber than his cousin. While that was slightly insulting, he dealt with it, knowing that it was better to be dismissed as nothing than to be considered a genius and have everyone's attention on you instead. Not that he considered himself a genius, but he knew that the math he was learning from Merlin was far harder than anything his classmates were currently working on. And the science…well, lets just say that he knew things that physicists would give their first-born children to know.

Merlin didn't rush him, not too much, and the hologram also knew to keep varying his learning by instructing him how to use his abilities properly. Though not as powerful as the 'spells' cast by wizards, Telekinesis was an incredibly versatile and useful thing to have. It could augment his body by allowing him to run faster or jump higher, lift things several times his weight, and if he was feeling particularly lazy, grabbing his water from the other side of the room. It was like being a Jedi!

Telepathy on the other hand….it was a headache. Literally. Merlin really couldn't give him feedback on how or what he was doing, because technically, the hologram didn't have a mind to observe him. It was only interacting with him through sensors. Merlin could also, using what he called hard-light projectors, actually touch him, but again, that did not mean he had a biological mind that Harry could train himself to examine with telepathy.

Without any real teacher in the subject, Harry was forced to use his cousin and by extension, his relatives as test subjects. He didn't early do much to them, just altered their ability to notice his presence, and in case of Dudley chasing after him for Harry-hunting, distracted Dudley by having him hear the music from ice-cream-vans. Merlin, though disapproving of his methods of learning, let it slide, as he wasn't really doing his relatives much harm. Besides, the more he used this ability, the more able he was to observe his surroundings with it.

Harry did not have the healing touch, unfortunately. He did have the precognition, a facet of telepathy, but it was untrained, only giving him the slightest amount of warning in the sparring matches he had both with Merlin and that damnable knight with the sword. Said knight was to train him in using a focus staff, something that the Alterans had used to better control their powers in the early years, that had a solid core of naquada as an energy amplifier, along with a small device in the center that greatly reduced it's weight.

The amplifier allowed the staff to fire both bolts of stunning energy and increase the power of telekinetic strikes, and was a practice that had died out long before the fall of Atlantis. Merlin, or Moros as he had been known as at the time, had been one of the few Alterans that knew the way to use it properly, having been taught by his more traditionalist family.

Though he hated to admit it, over the last few years Harry had been coming to see the hologram as a sort of parental figure. The Dursleys sure as hell hadn't been there for him, and Merlin, though strict, was also patient, and on a rare occasion, even comforting.

Not that either of them would ever admit that Merlin could be _comforting_.

Yes, Harry was happy, soon going to go into High school, and learning about Lantean technology and science on the side.

He was so busy with all the things Merlin was training him with that he actually snapped at his Aunt when she screeched at him to go and make breakfast. He told her to do it herself, and strangely, she left the cupboard(which was illuminated by a small light) without another word.

When he finally came out of his room, the entire family was sitting at the table eating without him. He grabbed some toast and jam, along with a glass of water, and the Dursleys took no notice. He smiled slightly. It was another perfect day in which they would not notice him.

And then the doorbell rang.

Harry rose to his feet, getting the door without being asked. It wasn't like he really cared about going to open the door, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Outside of the door, there was a family of three. The father was tall and somewhat wide-shouldered, hazel eyes looking at him behind glasses framing his rather aristocratic face and black hair. The mother had bright red hair, almost the color of a fire, and eyes similar to his own. But the real kicker was their son.

Harry stared at the other boy, his mind trying, and failing to try and explain this. He looked like a bloody twin.

Harry's jaw slacked slightly before his eyes narrowed and he slammed the door in their faces, then locked it.

Not that it did much good.

A second later, the door opened, seemingly of its own accord, and the woman was in front. Harry heard his aunt getting up from the table, but she did not come out of the kitchen, instead listening at the door.

"Oh, Harry." She said. "Its so good to see my baby boy again!"

For a moment, Harry stood frozen, trying to comprehend what she had just said. Then he glared at the woman.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was fifteen months old." He stated coldly. "And don't you know it is rude to break into someone's home?"

Their faces seemed to fall a bit at that, the boy's face actually turning into a scowl, though for what he didn't know. The wizards(and he knew they were wizards, there had been no sound of something picking the lock) were in the wrong here, not him. Not to mention that they were bloody insane if they thought he would trust them when they essentially broke into the house.

"But…I thought…Tuney?" The woman whispered out loud, her eyes somewhat glazed in confusion.

Aunt Petunia came out of the kitchen at her name, and here eyes widened in surprise before she glared at the woman. "I suppose you've come to take him back now _Lily_?" She sneered.

Harry whirled around at her, shock crossing his features. Lily? This was really his _mother?_ His mouth opened soundlessly, before he did the only thing that he could. He touched the pendant around his neck and disappeared.

* * *

James had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Ever since that horrible night in which they left the boys with Pettigrew, He and Lily had been constantly trying to protect their son. From the press, to abduction attempts, even outright attacks in broad daylight. It was _insane_. They had eventually been reduced to staying in a recently rebuilt Potter Manor that was hidden behind goblin wards. Something that they should have done in the first place, but they had gone into hiding so quickly after Dumbledore revealed the prophecy to the that they hadn't really thought to consider it.

Andrew was somewhat spoiled, they both knew that. But that came with the territory of being an only child. It wasn't because he was the Boy-Who-lived. Andrew hated that title, hated all the trouble and attention that it brought him. It hadn't been until recently that Andrew learned he had an younger twin that was a squib. It had actually made him a bit angry that his parents had hid this from him all these years. He mellowed out a bit when he learned that they had been afraid of what would happen if they were attacked, and that Harry would not be able to defend himself. So they had hidden away their son with Lily's sister, Petunia.

Lily would have preferred to send her son to her parents, but they were dead, killed in a car crash years before. She and Petunia didn't really speak to each other, but she had thought that Petunia would at least treat her son normally because to Petunia, he was normal.

But that all changed when that boy had looked at her with such a blank expression. He did not know her, did not recognize his own family.

Harry was staring at them with suspicion, but when his eyes fell upon Andrew they widened before they narrowed again and he slammed the door in their faces. Lily blinked. Well that was a reaction she had not expected.

Wordlessly, James gestured with his wand and the door opened. Lily decided that if her son did not recognize her, she would have to remind him.

"Oh, Harry." She said. "Its so good to see my baby boy again!"

He seemed to freeze before the glare came back.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was fifteen months old." He snapped at her, eyes seeming to glow in his anger. He glanced at the open door and added. "And don't you know it is rude to break into someone's home?"

Lily felt the smile slip from her face. Harry had been told they were dead? Why would…How could….?"

"But…I thought…Tuney?" she managed to get out.

Petunia took that opportunity to come out of the kitchen, a nasty look appearing on her face after a brief moment of confusion. "I suppose you've come to take him back now _Lily?" _She sneered at her, and absently she noted that her sister had nothing on her former friend Severus.

Harry though, looked to be in shock, almost panic. Almost instinctively, he reached toward something under his shirt, and before she could react, he disappeared in a flash of light.

James found himself stumped. That had _not_ been a portkey. And yet, it had behaved just like one. The look of surprise on Petunia's face betrayed that she too knew nothing about this device, though he saw a contemplative look come across for a moment before her attention returned to them.

"Nice of you to finally come and see me dear sister." Petunia nearly hissed out the words. "What made you think that I would want to take care of one of you freaks?"

Lily flinched as if she had been struck before she recovered. "It wasn't safe for him…he couldn't defend himself from other…." She trailed off, knowing that Petunia hated any mention of _abnormal_ things with a passion.

Petunia scoffed. "That boy was as abnormal as you were! Don't you dare try to give me that excuse!"

Lily looked at her sister in bewilderment. "But the healer said…"

"Petunia? Who is it at the door?" Vernon's voice sounded right before he shoved the door open. His face started to turn red at the sight of them, and Petunia put a hand on his arm before he could start up a mighty rant.

"You should leave." She said, pointing toward the door.

Numb, Lily walked out the door, her family following suit.

* * *

Harry reappeared in Merlin's vault, nearly hyperventilating. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. How could of his parents left him with the Dursleys if they were alive all along? Was it because they had thought him not magical? Because his core, as Merlin said, had been damaged?

He clenched his fists. Had their government somehow detected the usage of his powers? Was that why they had come back to get him? Anger surged within him at the thought. So they only wanted him because he had powers? How…how dare they? He felt the air around him seem to grow in pressure and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to lose control.

Almost as if he sensed Harry's anger, Merlin shimmered into existence. "Welcome back young….Harry?" He asked.

Harry looked up, holding back tears. He didn't understand it. For so long, he had hidden his emotions from the world, from his so called family, and now he was completely open, almost losing control. Merlin seemed to flash slightly and Harry took it as a sign that he was now tangible. He felt the slight warmth of Merlin's arms around him and held on just as tightly, not wanting to let go of the one thing that seemed to remain constant in his life. He thought he was Harry Potter, orphan son of drunks Lily and James Potter, but it turns out that his parents had been alive this whole time, leaving him with those…people. Intellectually he understood that they had abandoned him because he didn't have their so called magic, but emotionally, he felt betrayed that his parents would give him up for so simple a reason.

"What is it?" Merlin asked softly, yet in the same gruff manner he always did when showing affection. It was almost like he though showing emotions like that were a sign of weakness, something that Harry could full understand.

"My parents…they were alive this whole time." He murmured.

Though he couldn't see it, Merlin's face darkened slightly. He gently pushed Harry back, looking into his eyes, and said one word.

"Explain."

* * *

Lily stumbled through the fire, her mind on overdrive. Ten years ago, she had thought that she was doing the right thing. Leaving Harry somewhere safe, where none of Voldemort's followers or sympathizers would even think to look for him. It had hurt her, _deeply, _to do so, to leave her baby somewhere she couldn't watch, couldn't be there for. But she had done it anyway, thinking that it would be better for her child, that Harry would at least be happy and safe.

But the way he had looked at her, like she was something to be wary of, to be _afraid _of….it nearly broke her heart.

"Lils?" She heard James ask. Turning, she could see the worry in his eyes, and deeper, anger. She could understand that; teaching their child that his parents were dead, killed because of something they would have never done, was something that just rubbed her the wrong way. She knew it was worse for James. Despite how different he was from the bigots that had plagued her time in Hogwarts, he was a Pureblood, and for nearly all Purebloods, family was _everything_. It made her feel even worse to think that leaving their precious son with Petunia had been her idea, something she had thought a stroke of genius in the aftermath of Voldemort's attack. He had held his reservations, and gone on with her idea, but to think that he had been right about her sister, about the way she would treat her son, it made her wish that he fought harder.

"He doesn't know us." She whispered. His face darkened as he nodded.

"We'll just have to get to know him then." He said assertively.

"But how James? He just disappeared! He could be out of the country for all we know!"

"Then we'll have to find him in another way." James said, looking almost uncomfortable.

Lily looked at him in a mixture of both hope and worry. "What is it?"

James shivered uncomfortably. "It is old magic, _forbidden_ magic, Lily, but something that is known to all purebloods."

"Forbidden…"she whispered to herself, then her eyes became hard, accusing. "Don't tell me you are thinking of using _blood magic_ of all things!" His wince was answer enough.

"James!" she exclaimed, then took a deep breath and calmed herself. Even if it was illegal, she would do anything to find her son.

_Anything._

"Alright then…" she said a moment later. "How would we do it?"

* * *

"They had no right to do such a thing Harry." Merlin whispered, trying to keep his anger at bay. Even if he was a machine, he was as close to a copy of the consciousness of Merlin as could be, and had most, if not all of his flaws.

"I know, its just that…" Harry made a frustrated noise, not knowing how to explain just how much it _hurt_. Merlin nodded though, simply holding him tighter, before sighing.

"What is it?" Harry asked warily.

"They will be searching for you Harry, it is their way." Merlin said sadly, his eyes closing for a moment. "Even in Arthur's time, _especially _in that time, family was everything to them."

"Sure doesn't seem like it." Harry muttered, but quietened at the look Merlin gave him.

"The problem is Harry, there is no way to prevent them from finding you." Merlin said. "And I cannot let this place fall into the hands of those who would abuse it."

Harry pushed him away, eyes accusing and betrayed. "So what, you'll make me leave, go with them? They don't even care about me Merlin! You do!"

Harry felt the warmth of the hard light on his lips. Merlin held his finger up, before moving back. "I never said that I was just going to leave you alone Harry." he said.

"But..how?" There was a flash of light, and a small band made of what looked like gold appeared in his hands.

"What is this?" Harry asked, looking at the fragile thing in wonder. It looked so thin that light that he could step on it and it would break, so much that he was afraid to even touch it.

"That is a relic of our people Harry, a device that uses the nervous system to directly show information and images to the brain. Parents were known to give them to children for their lessons, but they could also be used to talk to people a great distance away."

Harry gently picked it up, eyeing it in wonder. "So I can use it to talk to you?"

Merlin smirked a bit. "So long as you're within 2000 light-years, it tends to lag if the distance is longer than that." Harry smiled briefly at the joke, before he rushed the hologram and held onto his middle tightly. "Thank you." he whispered, not knowing what else to say.

Merlin looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "How else am I going to teach you what you need to know?"

Harry just smiled wider, not fooled for a second.

* * *

July 31

Harry was walking around Glastonbury, mostly eyeing the stalls for food that he could buy with the limited money he had. Mostly, it was coins that he had found in the street and hidden from the Dursleys, but it didn't matter that much. If he was truly desperate, he would leave a gold cup in a pawn shop or something and take far less than what it was worth. He felt a little guilty at doing it , but he had to eat, and if he was stealing money, he wanted to at least compensate for it somehow.

Besides, it was always amusing when it showed up on the news.

It was at one of the stands that he noticed a man, probably in his twenties, taking small things in his pockets and walking away. That man was stealing! without paying anything for it! Harry looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, and when he deemed it was safe, shifted the stand that the man was stealing from. The thing crashed down, wares clattering to the floor, leaving the man to run as the shopkeeper ran after him, shouting thief.

Harry hid a small smile at getting the guy busted and moved on.

It wasn't until nearly noon when he felt it, almost like a…warping of the air around him. As far as he could tell, he was the only one that noticed, and his gaze went to a secluded alley that everyone else's eyes seemed to slide off of as if it didn't exist. His eyes narrowed. Wizards.

Casually, he began to walk away from the alley, hiding the rising panic that he felt. It had only been two days, how had they been able to find him so fast? He felt another of those warping feelings, this time to his right, and he picked up the pace. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man that he remembered from the Dursley's front step. He had been with Lily, so this must be his…father." Ok, definitely time to get going . That was until he ran into someone and fell back on the ground.

His mirror image was standing right in front of him, and he scowled at the cheerful grin on the other boy's face.

"There you are Harry! Mum and Dad have been going spare looking for you!" He said cheerfully. Harry felt a warm hand grip his shoulder and tensed, frantically suppressing the need to throw the man away from him. It seemed that he had been found.

Wordlessly, he let himself be led by the man. He was a wizard after all, he had no idea of his capabilities, and it would be easier to escape if he did not fight right now. As they passed other shoppers, no one really took notice, after all, he looked like the unruly twin that was being taken home by his father. He smiled slightly at the thought. It was true, in a way.

They met up with his mother, Lily, a few minutes later, and Harry watched her move into the alleyway with his twin before they disappeared with a pop and that warping sensation made itself known again. Harry shivered, then tensed as his father leaned toward him. "This'll feel a little strange."

And then he was being squeezed through a tube, feeling as though he were about to suffocate, until they were released and he collapsed, gasping. He felt someone turn him over, and worried hazel eyes staring into his own. "-alright Harry?"

He gave the man a dirty look and said two words. "Never again."

* * *

His room was enormous, compared to the cupboard under the stairs this felt like he was in a wide open field. It was actually uncomfortable, feeling that open and exposed, but he could always change that later if he had to.

"So what'cha think about it?" He heard his brother nearly chirp. He felt the headache building already. He just _had_ to have an overly cheerful brother.

"Fine." He growled, in no mood to deal with him. His brother actually _pouted_. What was he… five?

"Aww. don't be like that little bro."

Harry's eye twitched before he took a deep breath. "Don't you have any friends to go play with?" He asked, a bit more snappishly than usual.

"Nope!" Andrew replied cheerfully. Harry nearly growled at him. Could this kid not take a hint? Surely he wasn't that oblivious?

Luckily he was saved by the appearance of a strange…creature. It looked like the fairytales of goblins, mixed with the bulging eyes and ears of a chihuahua.

"Master James sent Mipsey to say to come down for dinner." The strange being squeaked, before disappearing with a small cracking sound remenescant of the teleporting used by wizards, but with a lessened space warping effect compared to wizards.

Harry wondered what that meant as he followed his annoyance of an older brother (and who really counted with twins anyway?) down the mahogany staircase. He ignored the moving portraits of previous members of the Potter family, knowing that they were all gossiping about him. Though truthfully, what else would a personality stuck in a painting have to do?

Dinner was awkward though. He ate the food only after seeing them serve their own from the same plates. He knew he was being paranoid, and it was more than obvious to the rest of his family, but if living with the Dursleys taught him anything. it would be to watch the behavior of those around you. You were less likely to be hurt that way.

His father cleared his throat. "Andrew, can you please leave us for a bit?"

Andrew's constant smile seemed to dim, but he nodded and left the table without protest. Harry twitched slightly as both of his parents blatantly stared at him.

Harry forced himself not to react further. He was not going to let these people have power over him, even if they were his birth parents.

After a long silence, James uncomfortably cleared his throat. "So...Harry, what do you want to know?"

Harry gave the man a blank stare. It was something he had perfected for when his relatives had gone into praising Dudley for every little thing he did while blaming Harry for every shortcoming. To those that were not used to it, it was more than a little disconcerting.

Lily was the next to speak. "Please Harry, we need to talk."

"About?" Harry asked tonelessly.

The two adults shared a glance. "About why we left you at..." She trailed off but Harry was able to understand perfectly.

"Alright." He sighed. He might as well hear their side of the story, even if he didn't like it.

* * *

Authors note:

In Britain, High school is typically for ages 11 to 16, at least according to Yahoo answers.

Posted: 5/23/13


	4. Chapter 3

Last Time:

_After a long silence, James uncomfortably cleared his throat. "So...Harry, what do you want to know?"_

_Harry gave the man a blank stare. It was something he had perfected for when his relatives had gone into praising Dudley for every little thing he did while blaming Harry for every shortcoming. To those that were not used to it, it was more than a little intimidating._

_Lily was the next to speak. "Please Harry, we need to talk."_

_"About?" Harry asked tonelessly._

_The two adults shared a glance. "About why we left you at..." She trailed off but Harry was able to understand perfectly._

_"Alright." He sighed. He might as well hear their side of the story, even if he didn't like them._

Ch3: I've had enough

July 31, 1991

When his parents had first started to explain why they had left him with the Dursleys, he had wanted nothing more than to throw them into the walls with his telekinesis. Repeatedly and until he felt they had suffered as much as he had during those years. Of all the irresponsible things they could do, they would leave a baby on the doorstep before going back home, thinking that all that was needed to convey the seriousness of the situation was a note. A bloody note telling his so called aunt that she had to take him in, that it was for the best, for his protection, with nothing to counter the burden of taking care of another child.

Of course his Aunt would resent having him in the house, if she hadn't even had any say in the matter. Good grief, what was wrong with these people that he had the misfortune of calling parents? You didn't just dump a kid on someone's doorstep, even if they were family.

Harry was a bit ashamed to admit that he had stormed from the room before he lost his temper. It was so much easier to remain emotionless when you weren't emotionally connected to the person taunting you, but for his own parents to do this to him, no matter how little he knew them, really hurt. And that hurt was what nearly made him lash out against them.

"Whats wrong?" he heard his brother's voice and clenched his fists. The last thing he wanted was his so called older brother asking him questions, so he ignored him and slammed the door to his room shut, breathing heavily. True, slamming the door was more than a little childish of him, but damn it, it felt good to let out his anger somehow.

_"What's wrong Harry?" _He heard Merlin's voice speaking in his head, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the hologram standing there, as if he were in the room with him. His eyes widened in surprise before he sat on the bed, allowing the image in his head to come closer.

He felt Merlin's hand on his arm, and took a small amount of comfort in the gesture. He knew that the sensations weren't real, they were figments of his imagination that the band around his wrist sent to his head, but at the moment, he didn't really care. He just needed some support.

He sent the memory of the conversation over to Merlin, the hologram processing it in a second. He frowned before the grip on Harry's shoulder tightened slightly, then relaxed.

"I cannot believe the mentality of my descendants." He said, troubled.

"They're all idiots." Harry said back, laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. Merlin said nothing.

"I mean come on, as far as I can tell, Petunia _hates_ Lily, and Lily knew it too, otherwise she would have actually spoken to her in person."

He huffed angrily. "And who the bloody hell thinks its a good idea to leave a baby outside in the cold in the middle of November? I could have bloody died from the cold before Petunia even opened the bloody door."

Merlin tapped his nose none to gently, and Harry tinted red before saying sorry for his language.

Merlin nodded in acceptance. The situation that his young protege found himself in was worth more than a little swearing, but that didn't mean he was going to let him get away with it that easily.

"Its just...why..?" Harry asked helplessly, throwing his hands behind his head.

"Why would they even consider doing something like that?" Merlin asked him.

Harry nodded.

Merlin shrugged. "People do strange things when they are afraid, thinking their actions to be completely rational. I myself had made hasty decisions in the past that did not turn out for the best." His false eyes seemed to glaze as if in memory, before he shook his head and smiled sadly. "One of which most likely cost us the war with the Wraith."

They both sat there quietly for a moment before Harry tried to pat his shoulder in comfort. It passed through air, making him scowl and Merlin laugh lightly.

He got up from the bed and grabbed the toothbrush he had bought from a drug store a few days ago. He may have to live with these people, but that certainly didn't mean he was going to trust them to magic his mouth clean. For all he knew they would influence his mind and make him trust them, another reason he had waited for them to start eating before he did. So what if he was paranoid? He didn't know anything about these people other than that they had left him on a doorstep in November in order to 'protect' him.

He laid in the bed, thinking about all the changes that his life had gone through recently, before he fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

The next morning, he woke up bright and early, wanting to explore the house a bit to see if there was anything good. Despite his distrust for his family, he did want to know more about this strange power that they called magic, and amused, Merlin said that the best location for such information would likely be the manor's private library, something that all old family lines had.

Ignoring Merlin's amusement at his somewhat silly question (because really, where else but a library would you go for information?) Harry opened his door and started to explore, looking around at the paintings and vibrant colors decorating the walls. It was strange how the very air seemed to have a sense of...cheerfulness to it, but it did.

Thirty minutes later and he was starting to get more than a little annoyed. The manor was like a bloody maze, and he was sure that he had come to this same floor more than twice already. He took the staircase again, and was relieved when he found himself in an area he was sure that he had not seen before. That feeling of relief was quickly dashed by the numerous sentient protraits that were all staring at him.

He ignored them for the most part, trying to find the illusive library, but eventually the weight of their stares became so much that he couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Don't you have better things to do than stare at me?" He finally burst out, rounding on a frame that said 'Charlus Potter' on the label.

The portrait's eyebrow rose regally and he said "Not really." with as much pompousness as he could muster.

Harry gave him a glare before turning around, only to notice out of the corner of his eye that the protrait was following him from painting to painting. He turned back to the portrait, his expression demanding the image explain itself(and didn't that just sound strange?).

"You are the younger son of James and Lily?" Charlus asked, and Harry's glower increased. "Unfortunately."

The portrait grew indignant, and it nearly shouted. "What do you mean unfortunately? My son hasn't done anything to you!"

_So this was a portrait of James' father. Wonderful._

"He left me with my magic hating relatives in the middle of a November night!" Harry snapped back, pleased to see the shock in the portraits face as he turned around to keep walking. The portrait was persistant though, and kept following him.

"I assume that these relatives were muggles?" He heard the portrait ask, and for a moment he wanted to bang his head against the wall at its nosiness.

"Yes they were." He growled, trying to open the door in front of him, and was not happy when it refused to turned to the portrait and saw a smug expression on its face. "Do you know how to open this door?" He asked as politely as he could manage.

"Only the head of house can key someone into that door." Charlus answered.

Harry nearly groaned. "And what is so important that only he can let me in there?"

"It is the family library, filled with countless years of research and magic solely for the family. It is only appropriate for family spells to remain family spells." He retorted somewhat pompously.

Well that was just great. The one room he was looking for to spend time _away _from his newfound family was one that was locked by the head of said family.

"Is there any other way for me to get the door open?" He asked.

"There is, but it will cost you." Charlus answered cheerfully.

Harry's eyebrow twitched. Was his whole family filled with overly emotional and cheerful people? "What will it cost me then?"

"You will have to ask one of the house elves to put me in James' office, then I will ask that elf to let you into the Library." He replied with the same cheer.

Harry sensed that there was a reason this portrait was kept out of his so called father's office, but at the moment, he wasn't feeling exactly charitable to him, so any measure of payback, no matter how petty, felt like a nice idea.

"Deal."

* * *

The elf gladly moved Charlus' portrait into James' study, and Charlus kept his end of the bargain, asking the elf to let Harry into the Library. The house-elf agreed, and with a small squeezing sensation that had felt a little like when his father had 'apparated' him, they appeared in a room filled with shelves upon shelves of books. The elf quickly bowed and left with a small pop.

Harry found himself staring in wonder at the place. The library was a large circular room with a skylight in the center of the ceiling. There were three floors from what he could tell, and there were so many shelves he believed that he would never be able to read all of them in his lifetime. Inside of the circle, there were several desks with old fashioned lamps, all to be used for any matter of work.

In the very center of the circle, there was a small pedestal not unlike that of Merlin's vault, except that this one had a parchment and quill sitting on it instead of a sword, along with a smaller stool whose purpose was unknown. Cautiously, he gripped the quill, and words appeared on the parchment.

**_This parchment is used to find books by topic or classification. What is it that you are looking for?_**

After conferring with Merlin for a moment, Harry wrote:** _History_**

As soon as the quill lifted from the page, ink coming from seemingly nowhere began writing the names of different books in neat handwriting that took him a moment to decipher.

Harry looked at the list in front of him with some trepidation, but brushed his hand against the book at the very top of the list, and with a small whirring sound, the book appeared on the stool almost instantly after he touched its name. Harry jumped slightly at its appearance, before picking up the book and moving toward one of the desks.

* * *

After that disatrous explanation to his son, James wasn't exactly eager to get out of bed and face the day. His son was acting as if they were Death Eaters for Merlin's sake, waiting for them to serve and eat as if they would put poison in his food!

It made him so angry, thinking of what his wife's sister could have done to his precious son. From what he had observed, the boy was cold and blank to those he did not trust, an expression that James had only seen on the most regal of purebloods. And Harry hadn't been raised like that. He had _learned_ to hide his emotions away from the world, and it scared James to think what could have happened to the boy to make him seem nearly inhuman.

The one moment that his son had actually showed emotion was when Petunia said Lily's name. He remember the open shock, fear and confusion that had been on his son's face, before he grasped at something within his shirt and disappeared from the house, much like one would after taking a portkey.

Which didn't make any sense at all. Harry had been isolated from the Wizarding world since he was less than 18 months old. How could he have possibly come into contact with someone that knew he was at least partly magical, and then gave him an unregistered portkey. It chilled him to think what his son could have been learning from this wizard all this time; obscure potions and rituals that even squibs could perform?

He tried to push those thoughts behind him as he entered his office. He had a lot of work to do.

When he dipped his head under his desk, he was startled by a loud voice shouting "Good afternoon James!" and banged his head on the desk above him.

Cursing, he slowly moved so that he could stand up and glared at the source of the noise, only to pale when he realized that it was his father's portrait. How the hell had he managed to convince the house elves to move him?

"Well it is nice to see you too son, its been far too long since you've come to talk to me."

James quickly walked out of the room. He loved his father when he was alive, but he was certain that the painter had cursed his portrait to be as annoying as possible.

He also had to find out just which elf disobeyed his order that only living Potters could ask them to move portraits around, after the first fifty times the Portrait figured out a way to get around his orders.

He stopped then, and walked back to the office.

"Well hello again James, that was rather quick-"

"How did you convince him?" He interrupted brusquely.

The portrait gave him a strange look before it said. "I have no idea what you are talking about James."

James gritted his teeth slightly and asked, in as normal a tone as possible, "How did you convince Harry to move you to my office?

"But I did no such thing son, why would I ever force one of your-"

"I order you as head of house to tell me what you did!" He nearly roared. By Merlin, even after all this time and the portrait still got on his nerves this easily.

His father's image seemed to sulk before shrugging. "He wanted to get into the Library, so I asked him for a favor and he agreed."

James felt the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, then squashed it because it was a habit he had unfortunately learned from _Snape_ of all people.

That annoyance quickly turned to unease when he remembered just what kind of information was hidden in the Library, and he called an elf and asked it to take him to the Library immediately.

They arrived with a small popping sound, and James almost immediately saw his son's head pop up from the desk he was working at, then his expression closing off when he realized who it was.

James' face fell slightly at that reaction, but he nonetheless made his way over to where Harry was working, writing with a muggle note-pad of all things, along with a pen.

"What'cha doing?" He asked, trying to sound casual. By the narrowed eyes, he hadn't succeeded.

"Looking at History books, so I can learn about the culture I am supposedly a part of." Harry answered tartly, then pointedly looked back at the page, and James winced slightly.

He also felt a small bit of anger at the smart tone, but he let it slide for now, given all the upheaval Harry must have in his life right now.

"What do you think?" He ventured to ask, and an annoyed huff came from Harry's lips before he nearly slammed the book down.

"Your society sucks."

Well at least he didn't dance around what he thought.

"What do you mean sucks?" James tried his best to keep a neutral expression, but didn't like the slight to his culture.

"Well, lets see, most of your traditions are thousands of years old, you allow slavery when the normal world abolished that over a century ago, you descriminate against other sentient species...need I go on?"

That tone reminded him so much of Snivellus, and he had to work his face to keep it neutral. They sat in silence for several minutes as Harry read, before he heard what sounded like a growl come from his son.

Harry gave him an angry look before pointing at the page he was looking at and getting out of his seat, pointedly looking away from him.

James wondered what could possibly make him so angry, then he read the subject, and nearly put his head in his hands.

_The tradition of drowning squibs after they were shown to not have magic was started in the early..._

James pushed the book away, a look of disgust on his face. He had never understood the idea, then again the Potter family had never really had many squibs in their family line, having been much more liberal with their marriages with veela and magical creatures. These marriages were one of the reasons why the Potter line was so talented, as they had several infusions of near-pure magic into their bloodline while several of the darker families should not have been so unwilling to choose someone too far from their main family lines.

The only Dark families that somewhat escaped the majority of the degradation of their lines were those that married with Magical creatures instead of solely Purebloods, such as the Malfoy and Greengrass families.

He shook his head, then realized what must have made Harry so angry. He was sure that they had left him with Petunia simply because he didn't have magic like they did, (even when they had explained it to him yesterday) and had taken him back for some other reason he didn't know.

A few moments later, Harry came back and nearly slammed several books on the table. James could see a runes book, as well as potions, and tried to suppress the small fear he had from earlier, along with the distate that he always associated with that subject.

"What are those for?" He asked.

Harry's eyes seemed to glow in anger before he managed."If I have to be a part of this world, then I'm going to find some way of making money."

James decided that it was time to leave and come back when Harry was less angry at the practices of the Wizarding world.

* * *

Harry let out a sigh of relief when his father left the Library. Almost immediately, the angry expression on his face cooled before he said. "He's finally gone."

"Merlin's image materialized in his eye, and seemed somewhat amused at Harry's display, before he turned to the book Harry was looking at. "So what do you think?"

Harry looked over a description of a potion that supposedly prevented metal from deforming, and shrugged. "There are a lot of things in here that could be used to improve the metallurgy of a ship, maybe even make the hull completely invulnerable to weapons fire?"

Merlin shook his head. "Sorry Harry, but there is a universal law when it comes to spacecraft, _there is always a way around a defense_. Even if you make the hull completely resistant against energy weapons, it would likely shatter from the nuclear weapons this planet is so fond of."

Harry winced a bit at the mention of that part of history.

"So no, it would not be a good idea to try and make the armor resistant to one specific type of weapon unless you were intending for that ship to _only_ be fighting against that kind of weapon." Merlin finished.

Harry frowned, then asked. "Then make the armor resistant to a point, but still able to protect the same from other things?"

Merlin nodded sagely. "Exactly, though I wonder just how much these 'potions' will really affect ships. Depending on the metal composition used, they may actually weaken the hull strength."

"So we'd have to test the potions long before hand." Harry finished, and then added somewhat gloomily. "After I can find a way to get out of their sight!"

He was under no illusions that the family probably had their servants watching his every move. Even worse, said servants, now that they knew him, would be able to find him nearly anywhere, that much was obvious from the books he had read.

Merlin seemed to shrug. "We'll find a way, but for now we should continue with those lessons."

Harry groaned before he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate Pre-Calc."

Merlin's smile widened to cheshire cat proportions. "I know."

* * *

August 28

Nearly a month after his arrival, the family was preparing to go to some place called Diagon Alley for Andrew's school supplies. Harry had absolutely no desire to go(not that they would let him anyway). He knew that the family tended to get into all sorts of problems with the masses so that they had resorted to using glamours for shopping. Harry actually felt bad for Andrew, he was completely innocent when the whole thing happened, and he had no part in the decision to leave him at the Dursleys. That moronic idea was solely that of his parents.

This past month, Harry had been practically forced to stay inside the manor grounds at all times, as if he would be snatched the moment he left the property. He had spent most of his time in the library, reading more and more books about the potions and ancient runes that apparently squibs were able to use. He had even created a few basic runic arrays, then pushed the smallest bit of energy, the same that he used for his telekinesis, into the runes. They had literally worked like a charm, lightening the small clay tablet he had been writing on drastically.

Potions however, made no sense. There seemed to be no logical direction as to why a certain type of stir would affect the potion in a way completely different from another type of stir, and on top of that James' prejudice against the subject was nearly rabid. Harry could almost feel his disapproval lingering in the air long after he had left the library.

Harry had been waiting for so long to get a chance to go practice his lessons with Merlin again, but every time he thought he would be able to do so, his personal house-elf Mipsey would come and give him an extremely disapproving look, one that threatened her telling James he was trying to leave, and so he didn't.

He had taken to practicing with an enchanted mop instead of his staff, just so that he wouldn't get out of practice.

But now that he knew it would take them hours to go through the shops of Diagon Alley, he decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to go to the vault, and he walked outside not ten minutes after they left through the floo, having already changed into his normal clothes 'for comfort'.

He hated wizarding robes with a passion, he couldn't shake the feeling of wearing a dress at all times.

As soon as he was past the wards, he pulled on the pendant.

With that familiar dissassembling sensation, Harry disappeared from just outside Potter Manor in a flash of light and appeared in Merlin's vault once again.

Almost immediately, Merlin's hologram came to life and flickered, before Harry ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

Merlin gave a quiet cough after a minute or so and asked."Should we start with the staff training?"

Harry almost groaned but kept it in. After all this time not practicing for real? He was going to get slaughtered! He reached out with his mind, and the staff slowly floated over to him.

Merlin nodded in satisfaction. "Good, but I want you to learn how to use it better without your staff at some point."

Harry nodded warily, spinning the staff around and relishing the feeling of power and safety it gave him.

Merlin gestured, and a hard-light staff appeared in his hand. "Begin."

Harry flung a telekinetic strike, trying to get his mentor to be pushed back. Instead, Merlin dodged and gave Harry an admonishing look. "I didn't ask you to use your telekinesis Harry, you know that I can't respond to those."

Harry gave him a sheepish smile and nodded.

"Now, again."

Harry didn't hesitate, running forward and trying to hit him with an overhead strike. Merlin easily countered, then swung his staff at Harry's ribs, making Harry dodge to the left.

"Good, you are anticipating better." Merlin encouraged.

Harry tried to strike again, this time at Merlin's legs, but his teacher's staff met him at halfway, jarring his arms with the impact.

Not to be deterred, Harry aimed at Merlin's hip on his other side, only to be blocked with the opposite end. From there, Merlin seemed to be through with giving him free shots, and started attacking him in earnest. From there it was a desperate struggle for Harry to hold him back, meeting blow for blow until Merlin managed to smack him on the wrist and he reflexively let go of the staff, allowing Merlin to point his staff right at his throat. With a sigh, he yielded, rubbing his smarting arms and giving Merlin an annoyed look.

His mentor seemed unrepetant as he said. "You're getting better, but your footwork and reaction time need some work." He gestured towards Harry's staff and the boy reluctantly picked it up.

"Now, again!" Merlin commanded, and Harry hurried to block him. He just hoped he wouldn't get too many bruises out of this session.

* * *

He had a lot of bruises.

He had a lot more than just a lot of bruises.

Harry hadn't been sure if the beam would be able to get past the wards, so he came the same way he left, having the portkey deposit him right at the edge of the wards so that he could walk up to the Manor. Unfortunately for him

Harry winced as he found Lily Potter waiting for him in the main entrance to the house, nearly breathing _fire._

"Where in Merlin's name have you been?" She demanded, hands on her hips as if it would make her more intimidating.

Secretly, Harry admitted that for some reason it did in fact make her look more intimidating, though why he had no idea.

But the bigger problem was that he had been caught out of the house, on the first time that they had left him alone. He had likely lost whatever trust they had for him. And it would mean even more restrictive measures for him. He felt a sense of nausea well up in him at the thought of being locked up only inside of the house for another month, and mentally shuddered.

"Well?"

Harry fought the completely foreign urge to squirm. He had never really had any authority figures that he respected(and he certainly didn't respect these people that much) but something about the words and the tone still made him feel guilty.

He stubbornly kept his mouth shut though, knowing that if he said anything it would make the situation worse than if he said nothing.

Lily seemed to sigh, shaking her head. "Alright, if you won't tell me where you've been, then I have to take whatever it is you are using to leave."

Harry felt his blood run cold, and was about to turn and run when she cast a spell at him. He felt the pendant tugging against his neck, and grabbed at it with his hands, forcing it to stay put with his telekinesis. Lily frowned at him, then cast another spell, this time at his body, and his eyes widened slightly before he just barely dodged to the side, grabbing the pendant again and disappearing.

Lily stared at where he had been in disbelief. James had already raised the anti-portkey wards, and yet Harry's portkey had gone right through as if they hadn't even been there.

She held her head in her hands, cursing under her breath at her rashness. All she had wanted was to keep him from had to stay safe, away from the wizards that would love to use him to hurt their family. It would likely be a nightmare trying to track him down again. Before he had come with them somewhat complacently, but now? He'd likely come kicking and screaming, or disappear as soon as they managed to find him.

She called for Harry's elf and sent her to look for him, then rushed to James' office. They had to get the ritual ready as soon as possible.

* * *

Harry appeared in the cave, panting.

He couldn't believe that Lily had actually fired a spell at him. How dare she!

Without realizing it, he got up and started to pace, fear quickly turning to anger at what she had done.

She had no right to ask where he had been! He had been looking after himself for years, without the slightest bit of help from _any_ adult figure. He knew how to avoid bad people, and Merlin had been teaching him how to throw away people with his telekinesis. It tired him to do it without his staff, but the fact was that he_ could _defend himself, and yet she treated him like some baby that couldn't so much as walk around without help._  
_

They all did, even Andrew, who didn't even realize how careful he was around Harry, as if he were made of glass! He hated it!

So what if he didn't have magic? So what if he wasn't a bloody wizard? He was smart, and he could fight much better than most children of his age! Merlin himself admitted that Harry was slightly ahead of where he had been at his age, but unlike Merlin, Harry had the drive to learn the art, so that he could protect himself. Merlin had grown up in a city-ship, where he was very unlikely to need to fight for his life when he had his entire family there to protect him.

But Harry had no one he could count on, no one that he could even trust to do anything for him(Except Merlin).

Merlin's image appeared behind him, looking concerned at his thoughts.

"Harry?"

Harry turned around, his fists still clenched and his breathing loud as he tried to calm himself.

It was just so infuriating! Who were these people to abandon him, then come back and say that he needed them to protect him, after he had been doing fine on his own?

"Harry." Merlin's voice had a harder edge to it, and Harry looked up immediately, not wanting his teacher angry.

"I hate them!" Harry shouted. "All they do is sit there and treat me like I'm made of glass, like I'm useless 'cause I don't have any magic like they do! I just hate them! I can't be in the same house as them anymore!"

Merlin gave him a look before holding his chin, thinking. He had thought of when he could get Harry to go find his Library on Camelot, once Harry had advanced far enough in his studies to be able to use it . But now, it looked like Harry needed to get away from here.

He knew that Harry couldn't stand his treatment by his family. Having his freedom restricted like that would really try anyone's patience. His family had literally been keeping house-elves on him all the time, and even though he had known that it would be likely Harry would be caught when he came this morning, Merlin didn't say anything, knowing that Harry needed to get out of that manor before he went crazy.

"I was planning on waiting until you were older to tell you, but there is a way off of this planet that doesn't involve using a ship." he finally said.

Harry stared at him dumbly for a moment, then annoyance and excitement warred in his expression. "Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded more than asked, and yelped when Merlin gave him a sharp rap on the head for his tone.

"I didn't tell you because it would require you to directly interface with a stargate and then dial a planet, which I didn't want you to learn just yet." He explained. "It takes a great deal of concentration to do so, and I didn't believe that you were ready."

"I am ready!" Harry insisted almost immediately. "You said it yourself, I've been doing really good with the exercises you gave me!"

Merlin sighed. "That's not the point." "I am afraid that if you do use this technique before you are ready, it could hurt you, make you collapse from exhaustion, I don't know!"

Harry's eyes seemed to be glowing with anger and frustration. "Then I'll get some of those pepper-up potions the wizards have to stay awake!"

Merlin sighed again, but seemed to accept defeat. Harry was incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be, and this looked like it would be one of those times.

"Alright then Harry, if it is what you really wish, then we should prepare for leaving." Merlin reluctantly agreed.

Harry opened his mouth, as if he were already about to argue, before he realized that Merlin had actually said yes and that he would be able to go.

Just then a familiar feeling came over him, and he realized one of the Potter Elves was coming. Frantically, he thought of what to do, and by the time he heard the pop, he was able to react. Merlin disappeared at the same moment, sensing something was wrong, though he readied the transporters in case whatever was coming had to be banished from the vault.

Grasping his staff, he channeled his power at the elf, binding it into place. The elf stared at him with wide frightened eyes, unsure of what to do besides struggle against the intangible ropes holding her in place. This was the master's son, and she couldn't harm him, but he was casting magic on her! Should she go back to Master James and tell him, or should she-

"Mipsy! I order you to stay here and not move!" Harry commanded.

Mipsey seemed to flinch as the command came, and reluctantly stopped struggling against the invisible bonds.

Merlin's hologram reappeared, and Mipsey squeaked before she could stop herself, staring at the image of a man thought to be long dead.

"Harry, this may have just solved some of our problems." Merlin commented quietly.

"How?" Harry asked, keeping an eye on the elf in case she tried something.

"You needed a way to get all of the things out of my vault, now you can just ask her if the Potter Family has something that can carry things from here."

Harry gave Merlin an upset look at the prospect of stealing, but he agreed and asked the elf the question.

Mipsey seemed torn, but answered that the family did have several heirloom trunks, one of which had been already chosen for Harry before it was learned that he was a squib. That little tidbit made Harry growl, but Merlin touched his shoulder and he relaxed.

"Can you get it for me, and not tell anyone where I am?" Harry asked. Mipsey's ears seemed to droop before she answered yes.

"Alright, then after that I want you to pack at least a week's worth of preserved food, several pepper-up potions, and an ever-full pitcher of water in a separate bag." Harry instructed her, and she nodded unhappily before popping away.

"Alright, what do you want me to bring?" He asked Merlin's image.

"Everything you can." Merlin said, looking around his vault wistfully. "But the technology has to go first, it is much more dangerous than the gold and jewels."

Mipsy popped back into the room, carrying a mahogany trunk trimmed in gold with the Potter crest emblazoned on top along with a small moleskin pouch . Harry thought it looked awfully tacky, but when he opened it he gaped at the amount of space inside.

"Holy..The trunk's about the size of the Dining room." He whispered to himself. And by dining room he meant the dining room for formal events, enough to seat dozens of people.

Merlin 'looked' inside, and his eyebrows rose. "I must admit this is one of the most useful things our descendants have created."

Harry tore his eyes away from the trunk and looked around the room. "So what to we pack for-" Merlin cleared his throat loudly, and looked at Mipsey.

"Right...Mipsey, you are not to tell anyone of this location until tomorrow, no matter what anyone says or orders." He paused, then added. "The same thing goes for trying to take me back. Do you understand?"

The elf seemed to struggle against herself, then stiffened and nodded, popping away.

Harry quickly started grabbing things with his telekinesis, lowering them into the trunk and then moving to grab another thing. Merlin aided him by using the transporters to bring anything to heavy for him to lift quickly right next to the trunk, and after a matter of minutes, The room was cleared of everything.

Harry stared around the room that had been the closest thing to home for him in wistfulness, before he asked Merlin "Anything else?"

The hologram nodded. "I will beam the crystal containing this consciousness to you after you activate the gate, then you will have to place it in the pedestal under my Library in Camelot, it is in a secret passage, opened by pushing on a book on one of the shelves." Merlin shrugged apologetically. "I can't remember which one though." Harry rolled his eyes, before he closed the trunk and grasped his staff with his right hand. "I'm ready."

Merlin nodded, and Harry disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Author's note:

And now we get to the stargate stuff. The next chapter has a lot of short scenes, and has spoilers for the episode "Camelot." (season 9 episode 20 of SG1)

Posted: 5/23/13


	5. Chapter 4

Ok, a few quick answers to questions I was asked. I'm not posting the names of who asked, just answering the questions in reviews:

Q: Is this going to be het or slash?

A: I'm not thinking of any relationships for Harry just yet, so most likely general fiction, but if there was a relationship it would likely be slash (shrugs) Sorry if that bothers people.

Q:Do the timelines of this and the real show line up?

A: Yes, though most of the action before Stargate the movie will take place on Earth and the Wizarding world.

Q:Did Harry take everything from Glastonbury Tor?

A: Yes

Q:Why didn't the Potters interrogate Harry about his 'portkey' after the first time he used it?

A: One, they thought that the manor wards would keep him from leaving, along with the elves. Two, they didn't want to push him after all the things that had happened so recently.

That's the end of the questions. If you have one, either send me a PM or leave a review asking me, I'm not picky about either.

Last Time:

_Harry quickly started grabbing things with his telekinesis, lowering them into the trunk and then moving to grab another thing. Merlin aided him by using the transporters to bring anything to heavy for him to lift quickly right next to the trunk, and after a matter of minutes, The room was cleared of everything._

_Harry stared around the room that had been the closest thing to home for him in wistfulness, before he asked Merlin "Anything else?"_

_The hologram nodded. "I will beam the crystal containing this consciousness to you after you activate the gate, then you will have to place it in the pedestal under my Library in Camelot, it is in a secret passage, opened by pushing on a book on one of the shelves." Merlin shrugged apologetically. "I can't remember which one though." Harry rolled his eyes, before he closed the trunk and grasped his staff with his right hand. "I'm ready."_

_Merlin nodded, and Harry disappeared in a flash of light._

Ch4:

In the middle of a grassy plain there laid a strange object known to the locals simply as 'the great ring'. It stood upright, covered in strange glyphs of a language none of the villagers knew, but they knew its purpose well enough; the object had brought Arthur and his knights to Camelot, along with the wizard Merlin, whom many considered to be a black wizard, and a devious trickster.

Meurik, son of the leader of Camelot, was playing near the great stone circle when it started to hum loudly, then spin.

Frightened, he moved away, hiding in the treeline, but still gasped at the sight of the water pouring out of the center of the circle before it seemed to collapse in on itself and flatten into the surface. He ran back to the village, the worry of getting in trouble for playing around the circle forgotten. Arthur had returned!

* * *

Harry stumbled out of the stargate, his head throbbing. Merlin had told him that it would not be pleasant to dial the gate mentally, but he hadn't really had a choice in the matter. The gate still had enough power, even without the dialing device, to dial to another planet, but it had required more effort with the dialing device damaged beyond repair. Grunting to himself, he pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten, trying to stave off the headache.

He looked at the bag of potions, thinking that he was an idiot for not asking for head-ache relief. A moment later he stepped away from the stargate, knowing that even if the chances of someone else using it were small, it was still best to get away from it.

He got up slowly, swaying slightly and rubbing his aching head. He was tempted to use his telekinesis on the trunk, but he didn't want to show any obvious signs of magic to whatever people were here. That being said, he still kept his staff, which was the only obviously technological thing he had, but he could simply say it was made of metal and polished if he had to.

The trunk though...

He looked at it critically, knowing that it would certainly look a little out of place in a medieval society. Then he mentally shrugged and grasped it by the handle, knowing that it would look like something only the very rich could afford, and hopefully these people wouldn't question where he was from while he looked for the Library.

With a deep breath of the alien air, he took a step forward, the moleskin pouch in a non-expanded pocket of his cargo jeans and his staff thudding against the grown with every other step.

He could not hide a smile, despite his aching head. He was on another _planet. _And he was _free_.

* * *

That smile disappeared when he came upon the town the worn path from the gate had led him to. He had a welcoming commitee, all of them dressed in clothes that had a remarkable resemblance to those of the wizarding world. Wonderful.

Harry slowed slightly as he came up to them. They were ahead of the town doors, many of them staring at him with some kind of hope or fear mixed together, for what reason he had no idea. But the eagerness that nearly shone in their eyes made him feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Eventually, it got to the point that going any slower would simply look ridiculous, and so he kept on moving forward, his shoulders set and his staff lightly held in his hand, in case he needed to fight. These people didn't really seem hostile, more eager, but he was still wary.

The man in the lead, who somewhat reminded him of a flabby toad, came forward, several of the townspeople in colored robes following behind him slowly, like he was protecting them from the stranger.

"Welcome, stranger, to Camelot." He said with a bright smile. Harry smiled back slightly, but his eyes were flashing between the different people around him. These villagers looked too excited for him to be just a mere traveler.

"Thank you." He responded, and the man smiled again before gesturing. "Come, you must be weary from your journey."

Harry nodded politely, the grip on his staff tightening as he felt a surge of nervousness. He looked to the band where Merlin would usually be speaking to him unhappily, already feeling lost and alone without him there.

The village looked more than a little filthy to him, but the people seemed happy enough; there were quite a few children running around and playing, more than a few with wooden swords sparring and making dramatic sounds when they were 'killed'. It was a little amusing how innocent they were in that sense, also kind of depressing that Harry really didn't consider himself a kid anymore.

He was led to an especially dingy looking pub, where the man, whose name he still did not know, started talking to what looked like a grubby cook in a filthy apron. Harry immediately noticed how the man's eyes seemed to light up with whatever the village leader was saying to him, then ran off to the back of the pub, probably to go start making food. The other people that had followed them into the pub were soon dismissed, many of them looking disgruntled, but leaving nonetheless.

The leader gestured to a long table that was in the center of the pub, and Harry gently put down his trunk, the staff held across his lap.

"So stranger, which village do you hail from?" The man asked.

_Crap._ He thought frantically, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. What could be a good name for a village...

"I come from Glastonbury." He said, and the man's eyes widened before he straightened up.

"It is true then.." He said with awe.

Harry was completely confused, and worried. What kind of significance did Glastonbury have to these people?

"You are Arthur."

Harry barely resisted the urge to slap his forehead.

* * *

As they were served a somewhat edible looking soup, Harry tried to convince the man, who he now knew was named Jeffery, that he was not the legendary Arthur. He was stubborn though, arguing back until it got the point that the man said. "My own son Meurik saw the great ring come to life, and then you came to our village, saying you are from the legendary village known as the entrance to Avalon, and dressed in clothing whose style I have never seen."

"But I'm not Arthur!" Harry protested again. "My name's Harry!"

The man gave him a funny look. "That does not sound like a name I would give my child."

"Its short for Harold." Harry answered exasperatedly, and Jeffery seemed to narrow his eyes.

Abruptly, he stood up. "If you are not Arthur as you say, then why have you come to our village, surely there are more important things for you to do then come here with your falsehoods!"

And now the man was angry. That was just great.

"I came seeking the Library of Merlin." Harry answered as confidently as he could manage, and was surprised by the sudden _fear_ that showed in the man's face before he managed to calm his expression.

"_His_ library is sealed by magic." The man said harshly. "Only it's key can open the door, and even then, I would not wager you surviving the night in that cursed place!"

"What do you mean?"

The man seemed to glare at him, before he said. "I will not say another word to you!" And he turned around.

Harry, desperate, ran after him. "Please Jeffery, I need to find this library. I was told that it held the knowledge to save my people!"

Harry mentally winced at the half-lie, as his people were technically already dead, but kept on going with it. "There is a terrible plague, and my elders sent me to look for the information I needed to save them!" Again, the same lie, but it seemed to be working, as the man now looked indecisive, before he shook his head.

"I cannot, for the sake of my village." He said regretfully.

"But-"

"If I allow you into the Library, you will be killed by the cursed black knight, who would then wreak vengeance upon our village."

"I can defeat the knight!" Harry said, and the man gave him a once-over that made him bristle slightly.

"You are still not a man." He said, and shook his head. "And even then, no man is able to fight the cursed knight, more than a few have died trying."

Again he turned around, but this time, he froze in place, though not by his own will.

"I am no ordinary man." Harry said, regretful that he had to do it this way, but he had no choice. He _needed _the library, without it he would never be able to go any further into learning what he needed, nor would he be able to build things without the constructor technology.

"Magic!" The man managed to hiss, before Harry released him. The man looked furious, and afraid, and Harry hated himself for invoking those reactions, but he still felt that he had no choice.

"Please." He pleaded. "I am sorry for the deception, but I do need this to save my people, it is the only way."

The man's face could have been made of stone, but he seemed to accept the need to do this at the risk of his own life, and growled out. "Follow me."

* * *

The man led him to the village archives, almost throwing the rather ordinary iron key into his hands before saying. "Go and find what it is you need from the Library, and may the knight have mercy, for the sake of your people." Harry winced slightly as the man basically implied that he didn't care what the knight did to him.

With that, he told Harry how to get to the Library, and stalked from the room.

Harry stood there for a moment, regret filling him at the way he had handled this situation. Instead of staying on this planet to study in the library, as he had hoped, he would now have to take everything with him to some other planet.

A bit sadly, he followed the man's directions to the Library, marveling at the completely ordinary looking home, before he gingerly touched the doorway and jumped back as what Merlin had described as a forcefield stung his finger. He slowly slid the key into the hole, and watched as the forcefield shifted into the visible spectrum before deactivating, the door opening on its own.

As soon as he stepped inside, the door closed shut again.

He gave it a wary look, but then shifted as he realized he was inside of a small dark room, filled with spiderwebs and dusty books. It was disgusting. With a frown, he held his staff and set it to the ready position for firing the stunning weapon, lighting up the room with the blue glow.

The room was rather small, but there was a great deal of clutter among the shelves and desks. All of the books looked normal for the level of development here, and the candlesticks were much the same. If he hadn't seen the forcefield at the door, Harry would have thought this was just an ordinary home.

He took a deep breath and grasped his staff, forming the mental picture of what he wanted to do. Merlin had said that the entrance to the secret chamber could only be accessed by pushing a certain book in. He didn't want to waste the time it would take to go and push every book in and out of the shelves, so he used his power, amplified through the staff, to place a pressure on a single shelf of books at a time, letting up and moving to another shelf when nothing happened.

It was on the third shelf that he heard a loud click, and he released his power as the passage opened up in front of him. It looked rather dirty, and he made a face before he walked into the passage.

Once on the bottom, he found himself in a room empty of everything but a large table. Merlin had mentioned this right before they had gone through the gate.

There was a series of pops as the torches in the room lit, and Harry slowly moved to the table, placing a small amount of pressure on the bottom left panel and watching as a the tray filled with crystal circuits slid out soundlessly.

It was so strange looking. Harry had been through the gate after dialing it with his _mind._ But the fact that this was all really alien technology didn't really set in until he saw how different the inner parts of the machinery really were.

Slowly, he held his hand over the crystals in the tray, mentally counting to the fifth one before he removed it, knowing that this was the knight program. He then slid Merlin's crystal out of his pocket, carefully placing it into the tray and closing it.

A low humming sound filled the room as it filled with gold and various other items, and Merlin's image, the one Harry knew and loved, appeared in the room.

"Ah, thank you Harry." Merlin said, looking around the room thoughtfully. "It has been a long time since I have come here. After I returned to Earth to finish my vault at Glastonbury, the memories seem to go blank. It seems that my true self did not want me to know where he was going afterward.

"Why?" Harry asked, and Merlin shook his head. "For now, it does not matter, the danger is very far away and does not know of this galaxy's existence, and will not so long as you promise not to touch any of the artifacts without asking me first."

Harry frowned at him, but nodded and promised anyway. There was a nagging feeling that Merlin had mentioned this danger before, but for the life of him he couldn't remember.

Merlin suddenly pointed at a strange looking device that was halfway between an eight pointed star and a circle and had a series of ridges running over its green-blue surface in circles. A repository of knowledge.

"And the other." Merlin pointed again, this time at the other side of the room. It was a roughly circular brown table that almost felt like it hummed with power in his mind.

"That's it?" Harry asked somewhat skeptically.

Merlin gave him a look.

"Well, how am I supposed to build a ship with that? Its tiny!" Harry challenged.

Merlin seemed to sigh and grumble to himself.

"It is capable of making nearly _anything, _Harry. It would not be very difficult to design something that used the same principles yet could move around." Merlin admonished him.

Harry felt his cheeks tint slightly, but was still looking at the device in semi-doubt.

"Is it safe to put in my trunk?" He asked.

"Why would you need to do that?" Merlin asked somewhat suspiciously.

"Um...the village leader doesn't seem to like me much, and I may have held him in place when he didn't want to bring me here." Harry answered sheepishly.

Merlin seemed to sigh. "-nightmare to keep him from alienating our other allies."

"Hey!" Harry complained. He wasn't that bad.

Merlin gave him another look that seemed to imply that _yes, he was_ and turned away, grumbling.

"Well, if that is the case, then yes, you can move it, but I would like to create several things before we have to leave."

"Alright, what do I do?" Harry asked.

"You can start packing up the books upstairs, they are very important, and I trust you not to damage them."

"What are you doing then?" Harry asked almost petulantly. He wanted to use the constructor. He'd been waiting since Merlin had first mentioned just what it could do.

"I am going to be making myself a mobile projector system." Merlin retorted, and his hologram vanished as the gold covering the constructor was moved off by the beam transporters. The constructor started to glow, and Harry noticed small pieces of the gold around it began disappearing as _something _started to take shape in the center of the circle.

Harry did as his mentor asked and went back up the stairs, noticing that the candles were now lit. He gave a mental shrug and opened his trunk, levitating an entire shelf of books while making sure none of them fell off and then lowering it into the trunk. It still looked so weird seeing things disappear into something that should have been much smaller than they were.

* * *

Just as he was putting the last few books in the trunk(and there was still about a tenth of the space left over!), Merlin appeared and said."It is done."

An object was beamed right in front of Harry, and it looked much like a metal sphere, with a diameter of nearly a foot. Harry's eyebrow rose at the somewhat crude looking device, but Merlin gave him a dirty look and said. "I didn't care about elegance Harry, so long as it gets the job done."

Harry gave him another look, as if crying 'bullshit', but Merlin didn't seem to notice as he gazed around the room and nodded. "Good, now you can go pack everything in the chamber."

Harry, who _still_ had a headache from mentally dialing the gate, and was nearly exhausted, gave Merlin his meanest glare.

It was very lacking.

"Now Harry, we don't have all day." Merlin gave him an infuriating smile, and Harry growled at him before reaching into the bag of potions Mipsey had brought him and chugged one of the pepper-up dosages, grimacing at the horrible taste. Almost immediately, he felt energized, and placed the empty vial in the bag again before heading down the passageway.

* * *

Harry was forced to leave a decent amount of the normal gold in the vault, having no more space in his trunk, but he didn't really mind, given how much he already had inside of there. Merlin's crystal was moved to the projector, which hovered by Harry's side with some kind of inertial engine. Merlin's image formed just to say "I'll have us transported to the gate." and then disappeared back into the sphere.

A moment later, they were in front of the gate, and Merlin appeared again. His image flickered, indicating he was now made of hard-light, and started pressing the symbols on the dialing device before pressing the large red button in the center. The wormhole formed, and Harry felt Merlin's hand on his shoulder.

"Let me check if it is still a viable planet." He said, and he disappeared into the sphere before it moved into the wormhole. A moment later, there was no sign that he had even passed through.

Harry stood still for a minute, uncomfortable and wishing he had paid more attention to the address Merlin had entered, when finally, he heard Merlin's voice in his head, saying it was safe, and stepped through.

* * *

They stepped into what looked like some kind of reception area, though it was rather dirty and gloomy, the lighting not functioning.

Harry took a few steps, breathing in the stale air and coughing slightly. "What is this place?"

"It is similar to what you call resorts back on earth, a leisure planet." Merlin answered. He led Harry forward, his image moving soundlessly across the floor, which meant he was just in normal holographic mode.

They walked out of the entrance room, and Harry was having a hard time seeing just how this would be considered a resort planet.

Harry could see a great deal of artwork covering the walls. The carvings were intricate and almost delicate looking, at a level of detail no human, no matter how advanced, would be able to match. They passed through a window and Harry gasped at the sight of the greenery.

It was a jungle of some kind. Very dense and wild, creeping up against the walls of whatever this place had once been. Well, Merlin had said that it was some kind of Resort...

They passed through room after room, until Merlin came to some sort of antechamber and then...

"Is that a stage?" Harry asked incredulously. The ancients had technology far beyond humans, powers that defied explanation, but also the same kind of recreation. It looked like the more things changed the more they did stay the same.

Merlin nodded, even though Harry had already figured out the answer. "I chose this room because the 'stage' has enough space to put everything that we stored in the trunk in an organized location. It could be like our workroom or something along those lines."

"What about beds?" Harry asked, looking around the room.

"Not too far from here, only a few minutes walking distance." Merlin answered distractedly, as if he was focused on something else.

Harry looked at him and saw what seemed to be wistfulness in his eyes. "Merlin?" he asked, then started to yawn. It seemed that the pepper-up he had taken was no longer in his system. He felt as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

"Hmm?" The aged hologram asked, then realized what he was doing. "Oh, its nothing Harry, just a few memories of this place."

"If you say so." Harry murmured, then left the trunk on the ground and walked out of the room in search of places to sleep. He was exhausted, emotionally, mentally, and physically, from the overly dramatic day that seemed like it only belonged in one of those soap operas Petunia loved to watch.

It took him several minutes, but he eventually happened upon the bedrooms. The walls were a soothing white-cream color, and the beds were somewhat dusty, but not too bad. He was honestly too tired to care about a little dirt, and from the lack of bugs crawling around on the floor, he had nothing to worry about in that sense.

He didn't even bother to remove his clothes before he laid on the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

Lily was frantic that they finish preparing the ritual a soon as possible, not that James really blamed her for her worry. He did feel angry that her actions had lost them Harry once again, but he wasn't going to show this anger now. He admitted, at least to himself, that he would have likely reacted in the same way if he had been the one waiting for Harry to show up.

Mipsey was beside herself, tugging on her ears constantly even though James told her not to. She was incredibly upset that she couldn't obey his orders to find Harry, because as Harry's personal elf, his orders superseded their own unless he put one of them in danger. Master James had realized what Harry had done after only a few questions, and though angry, it wasn't at her.

She sniffled miserably. Why had her young master done this? She had tried so hard to make him happy, but everything she did to make him more comfortable annoyed him, even angered him. What had she done wrong?

Back in the ritual room, James was putting the final touches on the runes needed. He took the half-empty vial of Harry's blood somewhat nervously, then poured it into the center of the runic circle. Lily watched hopefully from outside of the circle as the blood soaked into the center and disappeared, before the entire structure began to glow.

The blood quill linked to the ritual began to write on a piece of parchment, but for too short a time. Then the glow vanished as the ritual was terminated.

James raised a trembling hand to the parchment, his eyes closing in pain. He gave Lily the parchment, and even with the expression on his face, she nearly snatched it from his hands, hoping that her worst fear hadn't come true.

All the paper said was: Not on Earth.

Harry was dead.

* * *

September 17, 1991

Harry had never felt more alive than he did now on this planet.

He was in his favorite (so far) room of this place, a porch surrounded by some kind of transparent material (not glass) that allowed him to see for miles around.

It was just...there were no words to describe how beautiful and _wild_ this planet felt, no sign of civilization except for the building he was standing in now. In a way, it reminded him of his newfound freedom, no one but him and Merlin on this entire planet, and more than enough space within this building for creating nearly anything they wanted to.

Of course, they had needed to clean the place up a bit at first, reactivating the air filters and food replicators. Harry had to admit that he had been leery of the food they provided after reading some of the books in the Potter library about transfiguration, but Merlin had assured him that it was the same as eating normal food, and it was, though he still swore it tasted strange.

Whatever naquadah that hadn't been placed back into the generators was being stockpiled by Merlin who was preparing to use them for a reactor of some sort. After Harry's declaration that the constructor was far too small to be of any use in making ships, Merlin had been 'awake' all the time, working with the constructor and coming up with ideas for what to do. Harry had some input when Merlin allowed him, as he didn't know the true limitations of the technology. Though normally that wouldn't be a good thing, in this case, Harry would sometimes give Merlin ideas that he normally wouldn't have even thought about, like instead of using a ground based constructor machine, to use one that used the same gravity manipulating drive located inside of Merlin's mobile projector.

After Merlin had been convinced about how useful this idea would be (because really, what use is something that gets around by crawling in _space_?) they had moved on to designing how the constructor technology would be incorporated into the builder-ship as Harry had come to calling it.

The power was relatively easy. Merlin said that naquada reactor technology was something that the ancients had practically perfected in their long years in space, and it showed. A micro-reactor the size of Merlin's thumb could likely power the constructor completely.

It ended up looking very strange,with two pairs of perpendicular triangular 'wings' giving it a vaguely spherical shape while the computer core was located in the very center, along with the inertial drive. Each of the wing-points held a beaming device, so the constructor could work on multiple tasks within the same object it was building. It did not, however, have any weapons.

They had debated for a bit on the necessity of having a shield around it, (Harry against and Merlin for) and Merlin eventually won with the argument that machinery in space survived a great deal longer when it was shielded.

And now, they were preparing for Merlin to build the first one.

* * *

The constructor was set in the middle of the former stage, the space cleared around it. Harry slowly placed Merlin's crystal inside of the constructor, watching in awe as the gold in different areas of the stage began to disappear slowly. In the center of the constructor, the first of many parts began to take shape, tiny pieces of the microreactor being built atom by atom.

Though Harry paid close attention to the process in the beginning, it soon became very boring for him, and he moved to the other side of the theatre room with a gold cup in his hand to practice his staff-less telekinesis.

He checked on Merlin's progress with the builder-ship every so often, but it was slow going, taking nearly ten hours for Merlin to finish building the device. Harry, who had been nearly dozing after eating a small meal gathered from the food replicator bay, quickly ran over and took Merlin's crystal out of the constructor to place it back inside of his projector. The builder did not do anything as he came close to it, it simply floated in midair.

Almost as soon as Harry placed the crystal inside of the projector, Merlin's image appeared in front of him.

For a moment he was quiet, then he said "It looks like it will work." Harry beamed at that admission. Soon he'd have his spaceship!

Merlin looked exasperated. For all his mature behavior, there were moments that he had no doubt Harry was still a child.

"What should we do with it then?" Harry asked quietly, as if the non-sentient machine was listening to their conversation.

Merlin rolled his eyes and said, in a normal voice. "We'll have to get it to make more of itself, then we can worry about _designing_ our first ship."

* * *

October 31

Andrew was miserable.

When his parents had told him that Harry was gone, he was able to read between the lines, no matter what people said about him being an empty-headed kid whose fame had completely corrupted him and his family.

His parents had been upset, like in Harry _died_ upset, but he didn't understand how that could have happened. Until he learned that mother had driven his little brother, whom he had only known for a _month, _away from them, and he was killed because of his connection to their family. It was all their fault!

At first he wanted to be so angry at her, but there was little time for that when he was suddenly thrust into the spotlight of the Wizarding World. When he was called up to be sorted by the Sorting hat, his glamour still on. McGonagall had quickly dispelled the glamour, and the Hat had quickly sorted him into Gryffindor, the so called house of the brave.

What people failed to mention was that it was also the house of the foolish and insensitive, its students constantly asking where he had been all these years and wanting his autograph (most of these upper year muggle-born) and wanting him to solve all their problems, from homework to family, when he was just a kid like the rest of them! It was maddening!

The rest of the school seemed to either love him or hate him, depending on the house. Though his mother had told him not to discriminate against the house of the snakes, it was easy to see that most of those that hated him were indeed wearing the green and silver, mocking him and sending verbal abuse whenever they could. Several had even tried to hex him, but he managed to shield against those with a weak protego before they were stopped. He always traveled with his father's cloak after the first few times this happened.

And now it was Halloween, the night that he had become the boy-who-lived, and his now dead brother had been left with his mother's sister to keep him safe. He hated this day. He hated it with a passion, because it was the day he was cursed to never have any peace, any privacy in the eyes of the public. He would never be able to be normal, never be able to go to Diagon without a glamour, likely for the rest of his life.

He sniffled. He hated being here at Hogwarts. His parents had fond memories of the place, but all that happened to him was harassment, and the teachers did nothing to stop it unless there were actually spells flying around. They thought that he was the boy-who-lived, he had been born in the spot-light, and he was used to it and relished it. They thought him invincible, unbreakable, but already he was feeling caged and battered and yet treated as though his word was law. It was sickening and numbing all at once. He just wanted to go home.

He often wondered if this was similar to what Harry had felt when he first came back, constantly trapped in the house and not able to do anything because their parents were afraid for his safety, thinking they _knew_ him when they really didn't. Andrew was ashamed to admit that even he had treated his brother the same, even without realizing it, and wished more than ever that he could take back his behavior so that his brother would maybe, just maybe, still be alive.

Now he was all alone, all the people that wanted to be his friends were after him because of what his status could do for them, not because they actually cared about him. He knew that they would likely abandon him at the first sign of danger, or even worse, expect him to protect them, simply because he was the boy-who-lived.

When the troll attacked him in the boy's bathroom, it was the final straw.

* * *

November 15

Harry hated to admit it, but he was starting to get more than a little antsy. It had been several months since Merlin had brought them here, and they had already designed a cargo ship that would be sent into space to gather raw naquada and other materials for their ships. They had even nearly finished the design of something Merlin was tentatively calling a scout, a ship primarily used for exploration and data gathering, with a few weapons based off of those on the old Aurora-class warships(1) and the ability to deploy small communication buoys that would allow near instant communication through the galaxy while cloaked from view. At least according to what Merlin remembered of them.

They were advancing further into his lessons in Alteran, Merlin taking several times a day to make him speak and practice the musical sounding Latin based language. He also devoted time to continue Harry's staff training and telekinesis.

Everything was going so well, but he still felt like he was getting suffocated somehow, being stuck in this place all the time.

When he asked Merlin why he was feeling like this, the hologram seemed to smile a bit before saying that he wasn't surprised.

"What do you mean you're not surprised?" He demanded hotly.

Merlin smiled again and said. "Harry, despite how realistic I am, we both know that I am not a true living creature. I am perfectly fine being alone, because I am a machine and do not have the need to follow the same impulses and desires that a living creature with a subconscious does."

"And...?"

"And the reason why you feel so confined is that you are not seeing anything new, so to speak." Merlin explained. "For the majority of our species, there is a need to socialize with others, to have other people to interact with and share experiences with."

Harry's eyes narrowed in thought. "So you think I just need a break, go somewhere with humans and just talk to them?That would go over well."

He cleared his voice and said in a sarcastic tone. "Hi, I'm a traveler from another planet, coming from my space ship hiding in the sky. Do you mind if I come and interact with your people, and possibly spread some terrible sicknesses that you're never been exposed to while I'm at it?"

"First of all Harry, beaming removes most foreign organisms from the body as part of its protocols, and no, I was suggesting that you go back home, to Earth, so th-"

"Hell no!" Harry shouted. "I'm not going back there, not where they can lock me up again in tha-"

"Harry!" Merlin exclaimed sharply.

Harry clenched his mouth shut, his hands nearly white with anger. He couldn't go back to that house, he couldn't be trapped again.

"Harry.." Merlin sighed softly.

"I wasn't suggesting that you go anywhere near your parents Harry, I know how you feel about them." He paused, then added. "All I want is for you to interact with other humans, humans that at least have a similar culture to what you are used to."

Harry didn't answer, but he did calm, if only a little.

"You need this Harry, much as you don't act like it, you are a _child_. It was a proven fact that children, or at least Alteran children, needed interaction with their peers to flourish into the adults they became."

"Do you understand?"

Harry nodded slowly, then unsurely asked."Do you really think I should go?"

Merlin smiled a bit sadly. "You need a break Harry, you've been driving yourself so hard these past months."

"Alright..." he agreed unhappily. "But only after the scout-ship is finished."

"Fine by me." Merlin smiled, and Harry did the same, though uncertainly.

He felt Merlin squeeze him, and squawked indignantly when he felt his fingers mess up his hair.

Merlin laughed, then moved off, Harry following behind him. It was time for his next language lesson.

* * *

Authors note:

Ok, I'm likely to have some people complaining that I'm bashing Lily too much, but really, all I am trying to do is show a logical conclusion of what her actions would cause.

Harry was left at the Dursleys because she thought it would keep him safe. Instead he grew up slightly cold and distrustful of others, especially authority figures. When he learned that she was the one to send him there, and that James didn't stop her, he practically hated her, wanting to stay away from the both of them as much as possible.

He doesn't respect either of them, so when he got a chance to escape for a moment, he took it. Lily's anger and frustration at Harry's (in her eyes) complete disregard for his safety drove her to try and take away his method of leaving, instead of talking calmly and reasonably.

When she 'attacked' him, Harry also overreacted, the action setting him off after the chafing nature of constantly being watched 'for his own safety' In his desire to be free of the restrictions they placed on him, he left the planet instead of trying to talk to them.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that before people started hating on this story. Other than that, I hope you guys like the story so far, I'm trying to keep it from being the same Harry-joins-the-SGC story that seems to be so popular (not that I'm against that, I really like several of those)or the 'Harry is a super-powerful alteran with a massive fleet of ships approach'

He will have his ships, but it will not be _that_ easy for him to fight the Goa'uld. They have been in space for thousands of years, and have used that time to build probably at least a hundred-thousand capital ships, probably more given their militaristic nature. Plus, his attacking them would likely give them free reign to attack planets under the protected planets treaty(though he doesn't know about that yet), because the advanced nature of the ships would make the paranoid Goa'uld think it was some kind of Asgard trick.

(1) These are the Lantean warships seen in Stargate Atlantis, and are also the Primary ships used by the Asurans.

Posted: 5/27/13


	6. Chapter 5

I have decided to keep this gen. If there is ever any relationship stuff, it would be in the end most likely, like an epilogue, and very light at most.

Last time:

Andrew:

_Now he was all alone, all the people that wanted to be his friends were after him because of what his status could do for him, not because they actually cared about him. He knew that they would likely abandon him at the first sign of danger, or even worse, expect him to protect them, simply because he was the boy-who-lived._

_When the troll attacked him in the boy's bathroom, it was the final straw._

Harry:

_Harry nodded slowly, then unsurely asked."Do you really think I should go?"_

_Merlin smiled a bit sadly. "You need a break Harry, you've been driving yourself so hard these past months."_

_"Alright..." he agreed unhappily. "But only after the scout-ship is finished."_

_"Fine by me." Merlin smiled, and Harry did the same, though uncertainly._

_He felt Merlin squeeze him, and squawked indignantly when he felt his fingers mess up his hair._

_Merlin laughed, then moved off, Harry following behind him. It was time for his next language lesson._

Ch5:

December 31, 1991

Clearing near Paradise Resort

Harry stared at the newly completed ship with a sense of both awe and humbleness. When Merlin had first started teaching him about their race, he had been amazed by the stories of their power and protectiveness of other races. They had been in space for _millions_ of years before they died out, and when Harry looked at the ship, the first Scout, he could not even imagine the years of work, of science and research that allowed him to build this thing. It was more than humbling, so much more that he had no idea to call what he felt at that moment.

He also felt _pride. _Pride that it was _his_ people that had been the ones to make all of these technologies, to advance into the universe and survive for millions of years, among so many hardships. He was one of _them_. And he would do his best by them, use their technology in the best way that he could. He promised himself that.

The body of the ship was a somewhat elliptical shape about fifty meters in length, thirty in width, and ten in height. The bow was a rounded point, then as the ship elongated it widened further until it reached the halfway point, then rapidly widened to the width of the engine nacelles, the maximum width. In front of the nacelles, there were the first of his prototype weapons, which he had come to call pulse lasers, even with Merlin's insistence that they had a long and proper name that he didn't want to mangle. These weapons were normally housed within this area before the nacelle, but would extend out of the hull when needed. Each one of these 'lasers' had a beam diameter of nearly two meters, miniscule compared to the Lantean defensive platforms that the weapon was based on.

These defense platforms were known and feared by the Wraith because of their ability to destroy a hive in a five second burst of energy, and while his version of the weapon was nowhere near as powerful, it would likely be able to drain the shields of most other races within five shots of each beam, or twenty shots altogether. Not that bad for a ship only fifty meters long.

There were no drones unfortunately, because he didn't have the means to make them yet, and also hadn't wanted to go back to Earth to retrieve those in the outpost beneath Antarctica. It would be better to leave those there in case of an emergency, which also reminded him that he'd need to create a facility for making the Zero point modules as well. He'd have to ask Merlin about starting those projects once they had more cargo ships to supply the material.

There was a small 'hatch' that allowed him manual entrance into the ship through the rear, inbetween the nacelles. Instead of having a moving doorway, Harry had made it so that it was just a holographic projector with several layers of bulkhead that would move out of the way to let him in. The opening was small, large enough for a single person to walk into the ship at a time, and though Merlin had said it wasn't very practical, Harry argued it would be better to have as few weaknesses in the ship as possible, if the shields went down.

Merlin had continued arguing until Harry pointed out that even Ancient shields would fail given enough punishment, and that he wanted to make sure the ship would survive. Eventually, his stubbornness won the argument, much to his mentor's exasperation.

As for living, there were about ten rooms allotted with double beds, every two bedrooms sharing a bathroom and food synthesizer, which used excess matter stored in the ship as the base material. Harry hadn't chosen a bedroom yet, but that was only because the ship was so fast that he didn't really see a point. The only reason he'd need to actually sleep in one of the beds was if he were traveling to another galaxy, and he wasn't planning on doing that for a while.

* * *

Jan 1

"It looks different." Merlin said quietly.

Harry nodded, knowing what he meant. Most Ancient ships had been designed for function rather than aesthetics, which meant that they looked rather...ugly, at least to him. His ship's hull was rather smooth, seamless hatches covering scaled down versions of the energy pulse weapons so commonly used by the Lanteans during the Wraith war.

"I think it looks really good though." Harry said, looking at the silvery-purple metal that was composed of a naquada-trinium alloy for hardness and strength. Because of the ship's coloring, Merlin had insisted on placing a cloaking device as well, similar to what was used for the Gate-ships. The ship was just small enough so that the generator would work.

But once that cloak was engaged, _nothing _but another of his scout-ships would likely be able to find it.

"I still don't understand where you got the idea for the shape." Merlin half-complained, before he shook his head. "But I have to admit this will do far better than a gate-ship for exploration."

Harry had insisted on using the power-intensive hyperdrive that would fit in the ship, because truthfully, with three systems of three advanced naquada generators, they had more than enough power to use it indefinitely.

"Have you loaded up the buoys?" Merlin asked him. Harry nodded. On his way back to Earth he planned to stop every ten minutes or so and drop a buoy, the go back into hyperspace. Truthfully, the ship could go much faster than that, but Merlin had cautioned him that it was better to start at low speeds, essentially breaking in the new engine.

"Emergency beacons?"

Again he nodded.

"Month supply of food?" _Along with the base material to make more of it._

Harry nodded sharply, starting to get annoyed.

"Gold to exchange for money in the Wizarding world?"

Was this what normal kids felt like with their parents being ridiculously overprotective?

"In the trunk."

"And what about-"

"Merlin! I'm fine, stop worrying." Harry exclaimed, then paused, confused as to why he was the one that was arguing more for going than Merlin, when it was Merlin's idea for him to go back in the first place.

Merlin smirked as Harry rounded on him. "Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?" He asked, his voice far too innocent.

Harry growled a bit before he took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm only going because you told me to, stop trying to make me think that this was my idea, I don't want to go, and I'm not going to enjoy it at all!"

Merlin smirked at the adamant response, when he knew Harry was likely to enjoy it a lot more than he would expect. He had been the same during his childhood, the first time his parents had wanted to bring him here to take a break from the stresses of war on his colony.

"If you say so." He answered, and nearly laughed at Harry's mulish expression.

"I'll show him that I'll hate it!" Harry thought, not for a moment realizing just how ridiculous that statement was.

Merlin watched as Harry manually tapped his wrist, a newly improved version of the communication band that could also send signals to the ship. A moment later he was beamed into the ship.

* * *

Harry found himself inside of the bridge, which was really just a glorified name for the room that was empty except for a control chair. He stared around the room, thinking that at some point, he would need to improve how it looked, before he gingerly walked over and sat in the control chair, spreading his hands into the gel sacs before he laid down and felt _something _connect to his mind.

He gasped, eyes closed at the sensation of actually _feeling_ the ship, all the connections that he had to it. It was like a mouse telling the elephant where to go, he had no idea of how big everything was and how to maneuver the ship, let alone fly it.

At the thought of flying, he felt the ship start lifting, and briefly panicked, telling the ship to stop in place.

It came to a halt almost immediately, and he breathed out a small sigh of relief.

He needed to get a feel for how the ship actually flew, before he did anything else.

Actually, was the shield up?

A moment later, he felt a sense of energy running through his veins, and then felt the shields snap into place, contoured around the hull.

_Ok, now, move up slowly._

He felt the slightest amount of acceleration, the only sign that the ship was moving at all, and watched through the sensors as the ground quickly moved away.

_Now, to move forward, slowly._

He did the same with the engines, feeding them power little by little as he accelerated horizontally, then increased the angle of flight and headed upwards. He let go of his tight control over the engines and was pushed into the chair until the inertial dampeners compensated less than a second later.

The sky rapidly grew darker as he moved out of the atmosphere, until he was in space. He blinked in surprise. It hadn't even taken a minute to fly out.

After a brief order for the ship to orbit, he opened his eyes, finding himself still in the dark room, and slowly sat up, his body feeling weak and insignificant after the amount of power he had felt running through the ship.

It was beyond intense, and he said so to Merlin as he tested the communication band.

"I wouldn't know." Merlin's voice sounded both curious and unconcerned, a combination that Harry had no idea how he pulled off.

Well, this was a little awkward.

"I'm dropping the first buoy." Harry said, manipulating the gel sacs under his fingers slowly as he thought about opening the rear entrance of the ship. The Corridor was sealed off and decompressed, then a small hovering object about thrice as big as his head slowly floated out, cloaking before it flew out of the entranceway and using its gravitic thrusters to keep it from being affected by the planet's gravity.

The entranceway shut, and Harry ordered the ship to make a small hyperspace jump of about a hundred light years to test the connection again.

"Is it working?" He heard Merlin's voice.

"Yep." Harry said, and he could almost see Merlin roll his eyes as he sighed.

"Alright then Harry, follow the path that we calculated and drop the buoys every 2000 light years, as we planned."

Harry nodded, knowing that even if they were rated for nearly 5000 light years, it was better to have redundancies instead.

Then he remembered Merlin couldn't see him nod and said. "Okay."

"Oh and Harry?"

"Yes...?"

"Have fun." Merlin added cheekily, before he dropped the connection.

Harry growled, something that he had been doing far too often around the annoying Hologram/parent figure.

"Plot course." He said out loud, even though the machine only needed his thoughts to do the action.

He saw a mental representation of the galaxy, his location marked by a small pulsing red dot while his destination was in green. There were several yellow points along the path, each depicting where he needed to place one of the buoys, and he nodded to himself. It looked about right.

It was a sobering thought to realize just how far he was going to travel through space, something no human on Earth even knew was possible.

"Go." He said softly, and closed his eyes as he felt the ship accelerate into a hyperspace window.

* * *

It was only a little over half an hour later that Harry found himself in orbit around Earth, even with the numerous stops he had to make to deploy the buoys.

The pictures he had seen in school did not do it any justice, and this was what he could see using the sensors, not with his own eyes. For a moment he wished he hadn't decided to remove the windows, then sighed to himself and shook his head.

Merlin had told him about the state of affairs in the Milky Way 1600 years ago, and it hadn't been very pretty then.

At that time, the majority of the galaxy was under the control of a parasitic species known as the Goa'uld, who were incredibly agressive and arrogant, believing that they were superior to all species but the Asgard. It was likely that they had grown even more in numbers and ships, but if what Merlin told him was correct, the Goa'uld were mostly scavengers, not having that much of an understanding of the technology to advance it at a reasonable rate. They were also most likely still around.

Harry didn't want to seem arrogant, but if these Goa'uld had trouble with the Asgard back then, Alteran ships were likely to easily beat them in a fair enough fight. The problem was that the Goa'uld had been in space for thousands of years, and had likely built tens of thousands, maybe even more than 100,000 ships for all he knew. It would not be wise to even try and fight them all with a hundred ships, let alone the one he had now.

Merlin had also cautioned Harry against meeting with their long-time allies, saying that they would not be very pleased to see what they thought a mere child in control of the entire Alteran knowledge base. It annoyed him to think that he would be treated by his appearance, rather than the experiences he had(which admittedly, were nothing compared to the Asgard), so Harry decided to wait a few years, until he had built up his fleet, in case for some reason these Asgard became violent over his presence in the galaxy. He hoped that this would not be the case, but as Merlin always said, it was best to be prepared for anything and everything that the cosmos could throw at you.

Harry looked back to the sensors, then sighed as he asked the sensors to look for any unusual energy readings(magic) in America, the place he had decided to visit. More specifically, he had decided that the best way to prove he couldn't have fun was to go somewhere that was reputed to be _very_ fun. At least that was what he told himself. So he had decided to go to Florida, then Disney World.

After all, Merlin had said that the one thing he had been missing this whole time was interaction, so the more interaction he had, the more quickly he would be back to normal, and could leave.

* * *

Gringotts Bank, Central Alley

New Orleans, Louisiana

Sharptooth was having a someone normal, if boring day, when he noticed a young boy with a very expensive looking trunk with the...Was that the Potter Family crest? He had heard from his cousin in Britain that the Potters were looking into leaving, but he had thought that he said they were going somewhere else, not Louisiana.

And even more odd was the fact that the boy was alone. Shouldn't his parents have been accompanying him?

"What can I do for you Mr. Potter?" he asked. The boy immediately jumped and looked around as if someone was chasing him. Then slowly, he turned to see Sharptooth's unamused expression and flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm not a Potter!" He denied vehemently, eyes darting around the bank as if he were expecting someone to jump out of the shadows and grab him.

"The fact you are holding one of the family trunks and not screaming in pain says otherwise." Sharptooth retorted dryly.

Busted.

He looked around nervously, then whispered. "Fine, I'm a Potter, but I'm also a...squib."

He gave the goblin a defiant look when he said it, it had not been his fault that his core was damaged, he had only been a baby. So if this goblin wanted to look down upon him for not having magic, he would just leave and do his business somewhere else.

Sharptooth looked over the young boy critically. He seemed rather well fed for a runaway, well developed, and as he said, he didn't have much magic. More than the average squib, sure; but nowhere near enough to be a wizard.

"And what business do you have at our bank then?" He asked.

Again the boy looked around nervously, before he said. "To trade gold for some local money."

The only sign of the goblin's surprise was a raised eyebrow. "Very well then Mr. Potter, follow me."

The goblin gracefully jumped down from his stool with the ease of long practice, and Harry followed him into the long Hallway. He kept checking the connection to his ship, just in case he needed to be beamed out of here.

The halls were rather ornate, some containing murals of long ago battles. He hid a wince at the brutality these goblins showed in war, or at least, the way they remembered it. These people were obviously a warrior race.

"Here we are Mr. Potter." The goblin said, and Harry saw an empty room with only a few long tables. Sharptooth took something from his shirt and spoke into it, and Harry guessed it was something like a radio.

His guess was proven correct a minute later when three goblins entered the room. Each were carrying a set of scales and measuring equipment. Sharptooth beckoned for Harry to open the trunk with a slightly bored expression, as if he expected what he had to not be very much.

Harry smirked mentally. While they had initially used gold to be converted into naquada, he and Merlin had left the majority of the treasures alone, and he likely had enough for a few hundred thousand pounds. And with the current conversion rate, it would be worth near double that in dollars.

He opened the trunk, keeping a watch on all three goblins while trying to not look too obvious about it. Still, none of their attention was on him. The moment he opened the trunk, he was greeted with obvious surprise and not surprisingly, a little greed.

* * *

Several hours later, Harry was the (somewhat) proud owner of a new Gringotts vault, registered under Harry Myr. It wasn't the most creative name, but it was one that Harry felt honored the one person he really trusted in his life, Merlin.

He didn't bother to haggle much over the price of the gold, he had no need for material wealth when he could just fabricate food and other necessities. However, if he needed to buy something while on Earth(which he told himself wouldn't be very often), it would be nice to have the money on hand.

Nearly as soon as he was out of the bank, he took of his wrist-communicator and asked the ship to beam him up in the small alleyway next to the bank. No one saw him leave.

* * *

Getting the tickets was a bit annoying, given his age, but he managed to convince the booth operator that he was nearly thirteen. With all the running and training he was doing, he looked a lot more built than most other eleven year olds his age, and his sense of maturity(Merlin was the only one that he let really let his mask down to act his age), he eventually got into the park.

When he got in, he nearly froze, not at the sight of the park, but at the many hundreds, even thousands of people that he could see walking around the park. It was so colorful, loud and overwhelming that he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself.

"Isn't it so cool?" He heard a younger voice ask him. He turned slowly, tamping down the part of him that wanted to jump in surprise.

The kid was kinda small, maybe six or seven, with wavy brown hair and a happy expression on his face.

"Yeah, it is." Harry said oddly, feeling uncomfortable with the massive numbers of people in the park. Glastonbury had been nothing like this.

"What's your name?" The boy asked him. "I'm Joshua, but my mom calls me Joshy." He said the last with such as disgusted expression that Harry couldn't keep himself from smiling a little.

"I'm Harry." he said, adding "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you to!" The boy said, grabbing his hand and not noticing how quickly Harry tensed before he shook it up and down a few times, then let go.

"So where's your family?" Joshua asked, looking around curiously for someone that looked like Harry.

"I came alone." Harry shrugged, looking around again. For some reason he didn't feel so uncomfortable with this boy, even though he was technically the first person he had interacted with in nearly six months. (Besides Merlin, of course) It was almost like there was a part of him that recognized him, but Harry had never been to America before, so he wasn't sure why he felt that way.

"That's too bad." Joshua said sadly. "Its more fun to come with your family too."

Harry's hands clenched slightly as he fought back the memories that came from his so called family. Feigning calm, he shrugged again, saying "It's my first time coming."

At this admission, Joshua seemed to grow even more excited, before grabbing his head and starting to drag him. Harry stood in place, the kid giving him a pouting look before letting go of his hand. "Come on, s'more fun with other people!"

Harry started to shake his head, then heard someone else running towards him. He shifted his weight , eyes darting around for a threat, only to see a woman swoop down on Joshua and hold him tight.

"Damn it Joshua! How many times have I told you to stay with us!" She whispered harshly. Harry bristled at the hostile tone, until he realized that it wasn't just anger she was feeling, there was also a sense of relief in her expression and body language. This was probably Joshua's mother. He relaxed.

"-Wos fine." Joshua protested feebly, and Harry nearly snickered at his discomfort with the hug in a public place.

"You were this time young man! But it won't happen again, even if I have to put a leash on you."

"You wouldn't!" Joshua cried indignantly.

His mother's eyes seemed to sparkle before she said. "Try me."

They both stared at each other for a moment, and Harry decided that it was best he left then alone, now that the boy had been found. He only took two steps before he felt a hand latch on to him. A small hand.

"Don't go Harry!" Joshua said, looking at his mother with ridiculous puppy eyes. "Can Harry come with us Mom? Pleeease?"

What on earth? He had just met the kid. Why would he want him to come?

His mother seemed amused, both by her son and Harry's uncomfortable expression. "Shouldn't you ask Harry if he wants to go with us first?" Joshua immediately turned to him, eyes wide and mournful and probably enough to make Merlin feel guilty.

She was evil. There was no way he could resist those puppy eyes directed at him. He had never had any siblings to make himself immune.

"Ugg, fine, I'll go!" He said, looking away.

Joshua's mother smiled at him and said. "Then lets go get your dad Joshua and tell him. He's right inside the store."

Joshua whooped and ran at the entrance at the store, his mother watching him with an indulgent expression before turning to Harry.

"Thank you." She said, and Harry shrugged uncomfortably.

"I didn't do anything, he found me."

"Still, he could have done a lot worse than you, so thank you."

Harry nodded, rather than argue the point more, and went first, knowing that she would likely feel more comfortable with him if she could see him. He knew that from experience.

The store was as brightly and richly colored as the outside streets, filled with candies, Disney shirts, and more than a few people. It was less than outside though, and Harry relaxed just a small bit. He did frown at the cold though. After all that time on Paradise, he was very comfortable with warm weather, but hated the cold with a passion.

"That's him Daddy!" He heard Joshua say, before the both of them came into his vision.

Joshua almost looked like a carbon copy of his father, with the same hair and facial structure. Now that he was paying more attention, the eyes were very similar to his mothers. He felt a small pang, realizing just how similar he and Joshua were in that sense, then pushed it away. He didn't come here to think about his birth family. He came here to prove to Merlin he wouldn't enjoy...dammit.

He was already enjoying himself, and he hadn't even been on one of the rides yet.

The two parents looked at each other in confusion as he slapped his forhead, muttering.

"Harry?"

He looked up with a rueful smile. "Sorry, I just realized that I proved my..grandpa right, I'm...enjoying myself."

"Why wouldn't you?" Joshua's father seemed almost confused.

Harry shrugged. "Don't really like crowds that much."

He received a nod in understanding, then the mother asked. "Where is this grandpa of yours anyway, I'd like to meet him." Her tone was light, but he could hear a tone of steel in her voice at his 'grandpa' leaving him alone in the park.

Harry barely hid a wince. "He left me at the gates, said that he was too old for this kind of thing."

"Hmm, well when is he picking you up then?"

"I was going to take a bus." Harry lied, trying to find a way to get out of this subject.

"Mom can we go to the mad tea party?"

_Thank you Joshua._ Harry thought in relief.

She turned her attention to her son and looked exasperated. "You know Daddy and I don't like that ride Joshy-" Here Joshua scowled mightily as Harry hid a grin. "maybe you should ask Harry to go with you." That grin faded almost immediately.

"Ok!" Joshua started to turn to Harry, who quickly agreed before the eyes were turned on him. It didn't make any sense. How could that little boy make him feel so guilty for not doing what he wanted him to do?

"Yeah!" Joshua whooped and grabbed Harry by the hand, trying to drag him toward the entrance. Harry allowed himself to be pulled along, getting in a line for a brightly colored ride under a wooden hut type thing with oversized china cups for the passengers to sit in. Harry watched closely as the ride started rotating, then as other people within the cups started to spin faster and faster, some spinning the wheels on the inside to do so.

Harry stared at it (and them) in horrified fascination. Wouldn't a ride like this just make people sick? How would this be fun at all?

It took several minutes for them to get on the ride, Joshua nearly vibrating in excitement. One of the ride operators came to make sure their door was secure before leaving again, Harry nervously gripping the wheel.

"Can you spin us re'lly fast?" Joshua asked him excitedly. Harry nodded, apprehensive.

The ride started up, and he slowly started spinning the wheel, feeling himself slightly pressed into his seat. He stopped spinning after he started to feel a little dizzy, only for Joshua to cry "Faster!" until he started spinning again.

He did so until he felt enough was enough, and Joshua seemed happy with the speed. Thank goodness! Any more and he'd likely be sick.

Harry made the mistake of looking up while the cup was spinning, and felt the sensation of vertigo increase drastically before he looked back into the cup, feeling like his head was pounding slightly.

When the ride was finally over, Joshua bounced out of the seat while Harry took a moment to get his bearings straight again. He shook out his legs slightly before taking a deep breath and stepping out of the cup, only stumbling a little. Joshua seemed a bit woobly when he walked, but he was happy all the same.

* * *

The four of them ended up going to several more rides after that first one, Harry accompanying Joshua the whole time while his parents switched off, one of them staying with their bags. Harry admitted fully that he was enjoying himself, though a large part of it was just watching the interactions between Joshua and his family. They were completely warm with each other, they cared for each other deeply, just like he cared for Merlin. Even with all of their professed love for their son, the Dursleys had been nowhere near this warm and comfortable with each other, they were far too obsessed with looking normal.

They settled down for lunch around 12:30 and Harry excused himself to go to the bathroom. He had been feeling uneasy as soon as they had come into the food court, like there was something familiar about the place. The thing was, he had only been to food courts a few times in his life, and none of them had been anything like this place. So what could be setting him on edge?

* * *

Andrew was so glad that his parents had enough sense to pull him out of Hogwarts. It had been a nightmare, every day and night expected that something bad would happen to him, that his dormmates would attack him to steal the hairs off of his head to sell or something equally ridiculous.

He had been sending plenty of letters home about how the teachers did nothing to stop the bullying and harassment, but his parents had told him to simply bear it. It wasn't that easy to just _bear it_. He had been living alone in the Manor for most of his life, he did not know how to even tune out bullying, because he hadn't even been that exposed to it before he got to Hogwarts.

Sure, he remembered the attacks, before his family decided that it was necessary to go shopping in the Wizarding World with full glamours, but that had been different. Those were adults attacking him then. These were other kids, his peers, and they treated him like he was something indestructible, someone who loved the attention and craved more of it when all he really wanted was to be left alone.

After the troll attack on Halloween, he had decided enough was enough, and wrote a letter saying that if he wasn't pulled out, he would leave on his own, listing once again all of the things that had happened to him in that awful school. He was pulled out just as the student body left for the Yule holidays, though the majority of Britain's population didn't seem to know Dumbledore certainly hadn't been very happy.

His parents were currently working with Gringotts Miami to find a nice place to stay, selling off the majority of their lesser properties in Britain aside from Potter Manor. They had decided that they would apply for citizenship here, and find tutors for him instead of the incompetent or overworked teachers back at Hogwarts.

He had wanted to stay with them, but his mother, feeling bad about not listening to him earlier in the year, insisted that he go have fun for once in his life, with no-one knowing who he was.

The mistakes she had made in the past were really wearing on her. Leaving his brother with Petunia(she did not deserve to be called aunt) had been an awful idea. His brother had wanted nothing to do with them, wanting to stay alone. But after they brought him back, they had all felt so guilty and protective of him that they didn't respect his space, constantly trying to spend time with him and see what he was doing.

Then his mother had driven him away, trying to get him to admit just how he left the house, and using a blood ritual, found out that his brother was dead only a few days later. It was awful, heartbreaking even, to learn that he had a brother, be able to interact with him for only a month, then lose him again, this time for good.

Andrew went along with her plans, taking a room in a small hotel that had a bus service to Disney World.

The first few days at the park had been a little nice. Here he was just some kid, he wasn't anyone special, and he liked it that way. He would love to live a life of anonymity, but knew it wasn't very likely, so he tried to enjoy these days as much as he could.

He was just walking over to find a seat when he heard a "What took you so long Harry, you were in there forever!"

A moment later a kid ran up to him, before looking at him strangely. "Why'd you change your clothes Harry?"

Andrew looked at the kid in confusion. "Look, I don't know who you are, but my name isn't Harry, it's Andrew."

The kid's face scrunched up in complete confusion. "But you look just like him..." He turned around and ran to what looked to be his parents, pointing at him. A moment later the boy's mother pushed down his arm, admonishing him, before looking at him and adopting a very similar look to her son.

It was just then that what the boy said filtered into his mind. He nearly ran towards them. "Wait, his name was Harry?" He asked, hope and fear warring within him.

"He was, but he said he had come here alone." She frowned. "Are you his brother?"

A voice answered her before he could, sounding vaguely familiar. "Unfortunately, he is."

Harry stood there, right behind him, tense as if he expected a fight at any moment. Andrew looked at him like a starving man, wanting nothing more than to just hug him tight, to make sure this wasn't some kind of wild dream.

"What does unfor-" Harry shook his head sharply at Joshua, before looking at his parents apologetically. "Can you give us a minute please?"

The mother nodded, though she was frowning, looking like she very much wanted to say something. The father was staring between the two boys, eyes widening at how similar they looked.

The three of them headed towards another one of the shops, watching warily.

"Thank you." He said softly, before turning back to Andrew with a cold glare.

"Why are you here!?" He hissed.

"I...I..."

"You what?" Harry taunted. "Speak clearly now."

Andrew glared at him, then moved as if to punch Harry. The bloody bastard was mocking him after that stunt he pulled? How dare he! Did he have no shame at all?

It was blocked a moment later by Harry's hand, whose eyes were suddenly cold and blank.

"I wouldn't try to do that again."

Andrew gulped, the sudden fit of anger receding almost instantly. The sense of menace coming from his brother was vast, and he had no idea what he had done to deserve it, other than that attempted hit. He quickly pulled his hand back and murmured.

"S...Sorry Harry."

Harry looked at him impatiently, then finally asked again. "Why are you _here_?" Though he didn't show it, he was worried that his parents had managed to track him down again, and sent his brother to do their dirty work and grab him.

"I..dropped out of Hogwarts and Mum and Dad sent me here so I could have some fun." Andrew answered.

Harry gave him a look, gauging his words. Andrew seriously thought he was telling the truth at least.

"And why are are you looking at me like that?" He finally snapped. Really, the teary-eyed hopeful look was starting to get on his nerves.

"I..we thought you were dead." He whispered tearfully, and Harry felt a twinge of guilt in his chest before he squashed it. He hated his parents, he didn't care what happened to them. Why should he care if they thought he was dead when they had tried to attack him to force him to stay?

"Well, that just shows you how reliable wizard methods are." He hissed, taking a short look at Joshua's family, who were starting to look a little worried.

"You need to see them, they've-"

"I am _never _going back there!" Harry clenched his fists, eyes blazing.

"But-"

"No!" Harry waved a hand sharply in dismissal, then turned around, only to be stopped by Andrew's hand on his arm.

"The only reason I'm not spraining your wrist right now is because you haven't done anything to me yet." He said, calmly and coldly. Andew's hand twitched, but stayed on. He was most definitely a..what was it called? Griffin-stork?

"Please Harry, just...can I have some way to talk to you? Mum and Dad won't know." Andrew pleaded.

Harry gave him a look, searching for any sign of deceit. There was only hope in that expression.

"Fine. If you send your letters to Sharptooth in Gringotts New Orleans, he can send it to me." He said, before he pointedly turned around.

As he walked away, he heard a whispered "Thank you."

* * *

"What was that about?" Helen asked him.

They had stopped as Joshua and his father, Dan got on one of the rides, and Harry could tell she had been waiting for an opportunity to ask him about his twin."

"I..." He paused, wondering how he could tell her. Obviously he couldn't talk about the magic side of things, so he'd have to go about it another way...

"When I was eighteen months old, my parents gave me away to be raised by another family." He began, not looking at her face.

"That family didn't really like me...hated me even, for no fault of my own."

"Did they abuse you?" She asked, eyes hard.

"No, not that much..." He said, eyes closed. "But they never hid how much they hated me."

He heard an indignant sound from her and smiled sadly. "Its alright though, my Grandpa found me and saved me from them."

Helen seemed somewhat troubled about him essentially being kidnapped from the home, but Harry put her to worries to rest by saying. "He took care of me, took me away from them and helped me get over what they did to me."

He chuckled self-deprecationally. "I was pretty shut off back then, mouth like you wouldn't believe; but he got me to open up a bit, to see the world wasn't as bad as I thought it was."

Helen seemed to swallow her anger, at least for the moment.

"And...that boy was your brother?"

Harry nodded sharply. "On my eleventh Birthday my birth family came and took me away, something about getting rid of me for my own protection when I was younger." He scoffed."And then just waltzing into my life again as if nothing happened! It just piss-ticked me off." He said, fixing his slip of the tongue when Helen gave him a look.

"What happened then?" She asked softly. Her arm was lifted a little, like she wanted to give him a hug, but wanted to respect his privacy as well.

He shrugged. "They locked me up in their house, again for _my own protection, _setting their servants, their hired help, to make sure I didn't escape."

"But you did." She pointed out, looking as if she wanted to go find his family and skin them alive.

At least, thats what her expression looked like to him.

"I did, and my Grandpa made it look like someone else got me, killed me to hurt my family, so they wouldn't try to find me again."

She looked disturbed, then confused, and he elaborated. "They're pretty rich, old money; it was one of the reasons they got rid of me, they could only have my brother as the heir." Then he added as an afterthought: "Unless he died somehow, then they'd have to replace him."

She looked outraged, but was unable to say any more as Joshua and Dan came back. Dan's eyes looked at their tense postures with some worry, but Joshua, the little ball of sunshine, didn't and immediately went on to talk about their time on the ride.

* * *

Harry ended up staying with them for dinner as well, paying for the meal despite their protests. The food prices at Disney were ridiculous, and he wasn't going to increase their financial burden when he had money that he would likely rarely spend. Or have taxed.

It was strange sitting with them. He had not even known they existed this morning, and by the end of the day they were all getting along like he was some friend of the Collins family.

It was also kinda nice though, eating in the tropical themed cafe. Joshua had fun eating the kid's meal, while Harry ordered a plate of fajitas. Though he was able to eat the constructor food, there was something about eating food that was _meant_ to be food that made it taste better, at least to him.

The conversation was light and happy, with Joshua interjecting so often and Helen admonishing him to eat with his mouth closed. Harry was silent for the most part, but he had a content smile on his face from the family interaction. It was nice.

As they were planning to leave, he admitted to them that he had only been planning to come for a day, and all of them protested, the loudest being Joshua. Indulgently, he agreed to stay for the next two days as well. His casual acceptance made Dan's eyebrows raise, but Harry was glad he didn't say anything. He didn't want to flaunt his newfound wealth.

And besides, with the speed his ship could travel, what did another few days really matter? Merlin was working on the plans for a ZPM factory in orbit of the Paradise planet, and wouldn't really need him for a while.

He was fine with enjoying himself for a few more days.

* * *

Andrew was so conflicted when he went home that night. His brother had been alive, all this time.

He was so glad that child had grabbed his attention. If he hadn't, he would have never even run into his brother, there were so many people there.

It hurt him to not let his parents know, but he also knew that if they knew that Harry was alive, they would not stop searching for him, and he couldn't do that to his brother, not after he trusted him to keep this quiet.

He sat on his bed quietly, trying to think of what he could give Harry, what he could write, then remembered the gift his father gave him for his birthday. It was a pair of charmed journals, used to write and send messages from one journal to the other.

He quickly grabbed one of the journals and searched for a piece of parchment. He would have to get Pipsey to take it to Gringotts New Orleans, but that didn't matter to him, so long as Harry got it.

* * *

January 4

Reflecting on the past few days left him with a rare feeling of contentment.

He had traveled with the Collins family all over Magic Kingdom, trying various rides with Joshua and suffering through those that he thought were far too young for him, that dumbo ride among them. It had been a bit embarrassing, but it was worth it to see the happy look on Joshua's face.

It was funny how quickly he felt connected to this family, to the point where he would actually be sad when he had to leave.

Helen told Dan about what he had said, and Harry had quietly confirmed it. It was a surprise at how angry the man was over what he told them, saying that he should bring them into the courts. Harry told him that it didn't matter,(given their wealth, they would be able to get away with it anyway) and that he didn't care about what they did to him in the past(Not true, but he wasn't going to give the elder Collins more ammunition for their argument either).

He told them he was happy with his grandfather, Emerson Myr, and didn't tell them whether or not he was a maternal grandfather, so they had no idea whether or not that was his family name.

They weren't exactly happy with his evasion, but decided to let it go. Despite how friendly they were with each other, they barely knew Harry, and didn't want to push him on what was obviously a sore subject.

When he was all set to leave, he gave Dan the muggle name of his Gringotts mailbox, telling him that he and his grandfather travelled most of the time, so he wouldn't be able to answer that quickly. Joshua gave him a hug, and though surprised at the action,he quickly returned it. Dan and Helen did the same, her telling him to be careful, while Dan just gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Joshua said that he would write every day, until Harry reminded him that he wouldn't be able to answer that often. Joshua seemed upset, and asked if he could at least see him at his birthday.

Helen agreed almost immediately, and Dan, after pretending to think for a moment, said it was fine, and Joshua cheered. Harry agreed to come, and was told it was March 3rd, before they all said their goodbyes and left the park.

He checked the box right before leaving on the ship and found a package from his brother. He opened it cautiously, only to find a journal. Bemusedly, he asked one of the goblin workers if there was any spells on it, and they replied that there were none that could affect his mind or track him, it was apparently a part of the service.

He smiled and thanked the goblin politely before leaving.

* * *

Authors note:

So yeah, Andrew knows Harry isn't dead, Harry will be in contact with him as he works on things from space.

I don't know when Harry would reveal himself to his parents, but it likely won't be for a while, not with the resentment he feels towards them for the way they treated him. The story he gave Helen shows what he really feels for them, at least now.

And there is a reason for him meeting the Collins, but it won't come up for more than a few chapters.

Finally, for those of you about to tell me that there is nowhere near that amount of Goa'uld ships, Harry doesn't have any real data, he's just working off of what Merlin told him about the Goa'uld, not any active sensor counts or things like that.

In other news, I doubt that I will be able to keep up this rate of updating. I have a few chapters that are still halfway done, but once I loose that buffer of chapters to post it will take me a lot longer to update.

Posted: 5/30/13

Edit: 5/30/13: Changed four meters for beam diameter to two meters, as I have been building a model and it doesn't fit.

Edit 7/14/13: Changed December 31, 1992 to December 31, 1991


	7. Chapter 6

Last time:

_When he was all set to leave, he gave Dan the muggle name of his Gringotts mailbox, telling him that he and his grandfather travelled most of the time, so he wouldn't be able to answer that quickly. Joshua gave him a hug, and though surprised at the action, quickly returned it. Dan and Helen did the same, her telling him to be careful, while Dan just gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder._

_Joshua said that he would write every day, until Harry reminded him that he wouldn't be able to answer that often. Joshua seemed upset, and asked if he could at least see him at his birthday._

_Helen agreed almost immediately, and Dan, after pretending to think for a moment, said it was fine, and Joshua cheered. Harry agreed to come, and was told it was March 3rd, before they all said their goodbyes and left the park._

_He checked the box right before leaving on the ship and found a package from his brother. He opened it cautiously, only to find a journal. Bemusedly, he asked one of the goblin workers if there was any spells on it, and they replied that there were none that could affect his mind or track him, it was apparently a part of the service._

_He smiled and thanked the goblin politely before leaving._

Ch6:

The return trip to Paradise was the same as before, though Harry took a different route, less direct, to spread the buoys further. As it was, it would take more than 30,000 of the things before Merlin was satisfied that they had enough all over the galaxy.

Harry was briefly surprised at what seemed to be at least half a dozen more cargo ships pinging on his sensors. Merlin had been busy.

"Ah, Harry, how was your vacation?"

Merlin shifted into focus in front of him, and Harry thought he almost looked like he was gloating. He rolled his eyes and said. "Yes Merlin, it was fun, I know you were right in this case, now lets move on."

Merlin actually looked put out before he said something like "ruins all my fun." and disappeared from his vision.

A moment later, Harry beamed down to the surface, seeing Merlin's hologram looking over a small data-screen showing the progress of various projects. The screen was another one of Harry's ideas, because he had been tired of waiting for constructors to finish something, then forget about them until they had been idle for over a day.

"So whats with all the new ships?" Harry asked. Looking at the screen, he could also see a great number of constructor drones working together to make more of themselves by the moon.

"And didn't we agree to not take the moon apart?" He asked rhetorically. He almost giggled at how absurd that statement would have sounded to anyone else.

"I installed an variable gravity generator in the moon to compensate for the mass we take away. Once we have removed all the mass, it will act with the same gravity the moon had on the planet before." Merlin reassured him, and though he was a bit annoyed Merlin had done it, Harry didn't think it was that bad of an idea. Why send the ships to far away systems when they had a large source of material right there?

Of course, according to Merlin, it wasn't _required_ that they have the material on hand; they could simply create matter from pure energy. (1) It was just that doing so was far less efficient and also much slower. Until they had enough ZPMs to use solely energy, it would just be better to use matter and then change its composition.

"What are you using it for?" Harry asked

"Well, you did say that this planet wasn't very well defended, so I'm working on building some of the defense satellites."

"But those things are horribly inefficient!" Harry complained. "And I thought we decided to build a ZPM factory first?"

"You know those things take years to be grown Harry."

"All the better to start them sooner." He retorted, then a lightbulb seemed to pop over his head.

"Didn't you say something about having time dilation machines in your Library?"

"Yes..." Merlin looked at him strangely, then a split second later realized just what Harry was hinting at.

"Sorry Harry, but your idea won't work."

Harry looked dumbfounded. "Um, why?"

"We aren't anywhere near the level of material needed for you to understand exactly how they work, but the growing process requires them to be in the same flow of time, otherwise they will deplete very quickly, and that is if it is done perfectly. "

"But...how do you know? Didn't your people try it?" He asked hopefully.

"No, because the time dilation technology was created by me after I descended; time manipulation was something that our people considered taboo after our previous attempts only ended in disaster." Merlin replied.

"And even if they could have, I doubt they would have tried it." He added flatly.

"Why not?"Harry almost stamped his foot. If his idea was correct, it would save them so much time.

"Because if we do it wrong, it will either release enough energy to rival a small supernova, or turn this planet into a black hole!" He snapped. "I will not let you risk your life for something that could be done much more safely!"

Harry quailed under Merlin's sudden anger. He hadn't thought it could be that dangerous.

"All right, we won't use time dilation for making ZPMs." He said, holding up his hands as if trying to calm a wild animal.

"Good." Merlin turned back to the panel.

"But what if we used it to make ships?"

Merlin turned around, his mouth open as if to give another angry retort, before his face calmed and he seemed to think.

"It doesn't seem that bad of an idea." He said, then gave Harry an appraising look before interfacing with the pad. The majority of the constructors working on building the defense satellite were immediately put onto standby as Merlin started to give them a new task.

* * *

Later that night, Harry finally took the opportunity to open the journal his brother left for him.

_Hi Harry, this is something that dad says he used in school to send messages privately. It always works, something about the two journals being completely connected no matter the distance. I thought this was a better way to get in touch with you, so if something happened we could talk sooner. Anyway, try and write a message on the paper. I know you hate quills, so this one can use pens too. _

_-3 Jan 1992_

Harry was staring at the thing, wondering just what this could mean. Andrew said that it was supposed to work no matter the distance, but could it really work this far away? If it could...

He shivered, thinking of the possibilities. A communication system that would need no intermediate relays, just the caller and the receiver. If this was true, then he wouldn't need to deploy the buoys any more.

He snagged a pen from the other end of the room, impatiently waiting for it to zoom into his hand, and started to write.

* * *

Andrew had been waiting impatiently for Harry to write back, a large part of him worried that Harry would just reject the journal and try to forget about him. He hoped that it wouldn't be the case, but he also knew that his brother hadn't even cared that their parents thought them dead, thinking they deserved it for everything they did to him.

He tried to act happy when he came back from Disney, and his parents seemed so busy with all the things going on that they didn't even notice.

They hadn't said much, but Dumbledore had let it slip that the Boy-who-lived had left Hogwarts. His parents were beyond upset at the old man, who they had thought of (at least his father did anyway) as a grandfather figure.

The country was nearly in an uproar at the loss of their savior, and Sirius had said something to his father that had him very worried.

They tried not to show this to him, but he could see the tenseness of their bodies, even when they tried to smile and pretend everything was all right, for his sake. He did know that his father had been going to Gringotts nearly every day, trying to do something that he wouldn't tell him.

His mother was also gone nearly every day, often returning near the point of tears, papers clutched in her hand with a Rejected! stamp on top.

He was terrified that somehow, he was going to be forced to go back to Hogwarts, and he couldn't do it. He couldn't go back, not after everything that happened to him.

Andrew was sitting in his bed, silently brooding, when he noticed the journal on his dresser glow brightly for a moment. He didn't even remember getting out of the bed, it was like he nearly apparated to reach the journal. Harry had written back!

**_Andrew, I'll admit that I was surprised to find this in my Gringotts box, but I do think it is really interesting. You said that it works no matter the distance? _**

Here there were several faint markings, as if Harry had started to write something, then stopped.

Hurriedly, he wrote back. "Yes, it does."

* * *

Harry jumped back from the journal as it suddenly glowed for a moment, then the words "Yes, it does." appeared on the normal looking parchment.

"Holy shit." he cursed out loud, staring at the journal in awe. He had to tell Merlin about this later.

Another message came up, asking how he was doing. After a moment, Harry hesitantly picked up the pen and wrote that he was doing fine, just got back with his guardian, and that he was studying with him.

* * *

Andrew had a very confused look on his face, which quickly turned to horror. Harry had a guardian? Since when? Was this what he had left the house for, why he had been so frustrated and angry with them?

He asked, and there was a long pause before Harry replied that it was part of the reason why he had been so upset.

Andrew swore quietly, realizing how badly his family had messed up. Harry had found someone besides the Dursleys that cared for him, a wizard most likely, given the invisible port-key like thing he had around his neck. And then the Potters swooped in and took him away, keeping him in their home when all he wanted to do was see this other Wizard, most likely someone he treated as a parent.

_I'm sorry for what we did. _He finally wrote, not knowing what else to say.

Not a minute later, Harry's handwriting came back, saying. _**Wasn't your fault, you didn't have much say in their plans.** _

Andrew guessed that was somewhat true, but as much as he tried to shift the blame onto them, he still felt guilty for not questioning them more about why they had done what they did.

**_What are you doing right now? _**Harry's next message read.

_Sitting on my bed, preparing to go to sleep; you?_

**_Already falling asleep._** Was Harry's answer, and Andrew felt himself smile a little. Harry was joking with him or at least it seemed that way, so he couldn't still be too angry with him about what he had said at Disney.

Harry had never seemed to really dislike him before he ran away, now that he thought about it. It was more like he thought he was an annoying little kid, and he was the older brother that had to deal with him. In hindsight he felt a bit embarrassed at how immature he had been acting around Harry, trying to get him to loosen up when just being himself would have made him more likable.

_I guess that I should let you sleep then._

**_You should._ **

Andrew huffed a small laugh before he wrote back. _Alright then, goodnight Harry._

There was a brief pause, then Harry wrote back._ **You too.**_

* * *

January 10, Paradise

Harry was reading.

Not that this wasn't a normal thing, but the thing that he was reading was.

He was reading an intermediate book of Charms theory that he bought on Earth two days after learning that the Journal managed to work over such a great distance, without any sort of relay involved.

While he had been there, he had asked Sharptooth if he could find and purchase several books on runic equivalents of advanced charms, for the next time he came back to Earth.

Why?

Because he was sure that if he was successful, he would be able to recreate the spells wizards used with the runes, having just enough magic in his body to activate them. And if he could recreate them, then he would be able to study them with the proper equipment, and see about replicating them through Alteran technology.

According to the theory, Runes were somewhat like portals to the dimension that magic came from. What exactly magic was, no one could really answer, so they just stuck with the name magic and left it at that. Because they were portals, they did not require the same power of a wizard to use them; they only needed to have a small amount in them to activate their use, the rest came from this 'magic' dimension.

This was why they were used in Wizard society for things like wards, having a direct connection like that meant that in theory, you would have an impenetrable defense if you got your wards just perfect. Unfortunately, due to the complexity and overlapping nature of the runes, this was not the case. Wards had weaknesses that could be exploited, mainly because there was no way to make a 'perfect' ward array. Either the connection to the power would snap, or the connections between different runes would overload, making the entire ward system collapse from the strain.

Harry knew that the theory was sound. It was just unlikely that anything would be able to have a permanent connection when under strain. The fact that energy shields, no matter how powerful, would eventually fail from the amount of energy attacking them, was something universal.

The only exception to this had been the Lantean city ships, whose shields could theoretically hold out forever against the Wraith, so long as they had the power to do so. When he had asked Merlin about it, he admitted that the shields only worked as well as they did because they were working in tandem, when one was close to overloading it would start sending its load to another, allowing that emitter to rest and be switched back. At any given time, even under bombardment, only five emitters were used at a time, unless in the middle of a switch. Battleships were not designed to do the same because of the density of all the systems. A city ship was much more open, and had more room than the Aurora class battleships to make these switches, something which Harry though was a major oversight on the part of the Lantean engineers.

Harry was thinking that whenever he and Merlin started to build the equivalent of an Aurora-class, that he would have to find a way of doing something similar. Ships typically had two emitters, so if he added another two, he would likely make the already powerful shields last much longer. The ships would likely need more space to do this, but a little girth wasn't too much of a price to pay for a more durable ship.

On top of that, he was planning to learn how the connections to the 'magic' dimension worked without the runes, and once he did that, he would likely have the ability to connect with any ship within...well, anywhere, if the theory was correct.

And maybe, once he better understood the energy used, he might even have a way to make a secondary shield system around the ship,like a last-ditch measure to allow a ship to escape, while completely separate from the main buffers.

He was so excited. If this research panned out, he would greatly expand on the Ancient knowledge of esoteric energies.

* * *

January 16

With several time dilation devices fully constructed, Harry immediately set the reassigned drones to building two facilities under their time bubbles, one for drone production and the other for making the ZPMs. The majority of them were working on the ZPM factory, whose location had been changed to one of the larger storerooms of the resort; one that was once used as food storage in case of siege.

He and the drones moved all of the supplies, most of them gone bad with the loss of power, into the matter storage area, where all the cargo ships dumped their payloads of materials before replenishing the little naquada they used and leaving the system again. These ships were sent mostly into regions of space where there were no star-gates for thousands of light-years, and thus less likely to have been taken by the Goa'uld, whose hyperdrives were far more slow and primitive.

With a low setting of the dilators, the buildings were completed within a few hours, compared to the weeks that it would have taken them to be finished normally. Harry was happy. With the time dilation, he would be able to do things much faster, relatively speaking.

* * *

Jan 28

Harry was actually enjoying the opportunity to get to know his brother every night. When he wasn't running around and acting like a five year old, Andrew was actually quite thoughtful and observant. He was also quite cynical, though nowhere near Harry's level. Even Merlin admitted that Harry was a category all of his own, trusting very few people with anything about him.

It was a bit sad to realize Andrew was like this for similar reasons to his own. Andrew had grown up afraid of being attacked by his peers, of the adults besides his parents. He had been forced to learn magic for defense from an early age, never really enjoying himself because of the stress that came with being a magical celebrity.

Although he at first had only wanted to dislike Andrew, Harry found himself warming up to him. He had meant what he said when Andrew apologized for his family's actions. James and Lily Potter had made their own decisions, and Andrew wasn't any part of those decisions. Even if it could be argued that Harry being sent away was Andrew's fault, it was still his parent's decision to do so, so he didn't blame his brother one bit for his life.

If anything, he was glad that things had happened the way they had. If they hadn't, Harry would have never found Merlin in Glastonbury Tor, and would have likely been stuck inside Potter Manor from the day Andrew defeated Voldemort.

* * *

January 30

Andrew was brought into the Manor study by one of the Potter elves.

They had been forced to leave America yesterday; for no reason _other_ than the fact that they were a pureblood family from Britain. It turned out that the majority of Wizards in America were descended from muggle-borns fleeing the prejudice and outright hatred many of them were subjected to in Europe. Because of this, they in turn were discriminatory against English born purebloods, no matter who they were. They were such hypocrites!

And going to other countries seemed to be out as well. Most of them, at least the ones they considered safe enough, wanted very little to do with Britain, after Lord Voldemort's problems affected their countries, either through refugees or outright attacks against wizards that he wanted on his side but refused him. It didn't help that most of those caught in the act in said countries were freed and acquitted as soon as they were extradited back to Britain, free to go back and cause more damage without a care in the world.

His parents had been trying to find him tutors from outside of the country, ones that wouldn't try to abuse their positions because of his status, but they hadn't been having much luck, most likely because of this. Britain didn't really have much goodwill with the other magical countries at the moment.

"Andrew." His dad nearly whispered, and Andrew couldn't believe how tired he looked.

His mother looked upset, but she wouldn't look at him, as if ashamed.

What was wrong? Why were they both so worried looking?

"What is it?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

His father seemed to sag where he was standing, before he said. "You have to go back."

Andrew's very blood seemed to freeze. There was only one thing that his father could mean when he said that.

"Go..back?" He whispered.

His dad nodded somberly, looking pained. "Dumbledore authored a law that was passed unanimously. A student that starts their education at Hogwarts _must _finish it there, otherwise their parents will be blamed and thrown into Azkaban for 'obstructing the education of our precious children'." He quoted bitterly.

He would gladly do anything for his son, even go to Azkaban, but the fear of who would be assigned his guardianship put off any ideas of disobeying the ludicrous new law. Andrew could go to someone like the Malfoys for Merlin's sake!

Andrew was torn between being furious and terrified. He had left the school, which, considering his status, would nearly be considered a snub to everyone there. If he thought the way he had been treated before was bad, then it would certainly be much worse now.

_How am I going to protect myself? _He thought desperately. _How can I escape them again? _

"When do I go back?" He asked tonelessly.

"Two days." His father said sympathetically. Andrew nodded stiffly and left the room at a brisk walk.

It just wasn't fair! How could the Ministry choose where he wanted to learn, where he wanted to be? He wasn't their slave, some toy for them to abuse as they saw fit! He was a person by Merlin! How could they even get away with this?

As soon as he slammed the door to his room, he pulled out the journal from his workdesk, scrambling around for something to write with.

_Harry, I need your help, the ministry is forcing me to go back to Hogwarts and I-_

* * *

Paradise

Later that night

Harry's room.

Harry was happy with the way things were going. He was planning to go back to Earth in a few days to pick up whatever books Sharptooth had managed to find for him, and maybe to say hi to Joshua while he was there.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he saw the journal on his nightstand glowing brightly, and he grabbed it. After nearly a month of talking to him nearly every night, Harry had come to think of Andrew as a friend. A very immature friend at times, but still a friend.

His slight smile disappeared when he read Andrew's message.

_Harry, I need your help, the ministry is forcing me to go back to Hogwarts and I'm afraid of how the students there are going to react to me. I practically snubbed everyone in the school when I left. What should I do?_

Harry was honestly confused. How did a government have the right to dictate where its students were educated? Wasn't that a violation of civil rights? Did wizards even have such a thing?

**_I thought you were going to be schooled in America?_**

It took a while for his brother to answer, which he guessed meant Andrew had written this message a while ago.

_I was, but America is full of muggle-born descendants, they hate English pure-bloods with a passion, and deported us. _

Harry stared at the paper, and not for the first time, wondered how wizards had even survived as a culture if they were so good at alienating each other. How had they not killed each other off yet?

_**I...don't know what to say about that besides the fact that they are all ignorant bigots. I was planning to go back to Gringotts New Orleans in a few days, but I can easily meet you in Britain after that.**_

* * *

Andrew stared at Harry's message and wondered just who he had as a guardian that could get international portkeys that easily. From what his parents had explained to him, it wasn't exactly easy to get approval for them that quickly.

_If you can come, that would be great. We could meet somewhere remote, like Stonehenge. _

**_A strange choice, but I guess it can work. How are you getting there?_**

Andrew chewed his lip for a moment before he wrote: _I'll get one of the manor elves to take me there and then leave me alone, probably my personal elf, Pipsey. _

_What time can we meet?_

After a minute or so, Harry replied.**_ Meet me there tomorrow morning at eight._**

* * *

After he closed the notebook, he immediately contacted Merlin, saying that he was going to take their first scout, now named the Hermes, to Earth immediately. According to his wristwatch, it was only four in the afternoon in Florida, which meant it was even earlier in New Orleans.

With a thought, he was beamed aboard his ship and heading to Earth. He had to see Sharptooth.

* * *

January 31

Stonehenge

Andrew was freezing, even with the multiple layers of heated clothing and cloaks. Why had he suggested this place? It was cold, and there was no protection at all from the wind. He glanced at his grandfather's pocket-watch with impatience, hoping that Harry wasn't late. He felt that his fingers were about to fall off.

"Somehow I don't think you thought this place through. " He heard Harry's voice, with that same musical lilt to it that overpowered his British accent, and turned around. Harry was standing there in strange looking brown-gray clothing. Not quite muggle, but most definitely not wizarding attire, it was nearly molded to his body. He was also giving him a smile that was bordering on a smirk, and he didn't look the slightest bit cold.

"I was panicking just a bit yesterday, I do hope you'll forgive my rashness." Andrew retorted sarcastically, feeling very uncharitable with how cold he was. He scowled when Harry's smile-smirk seemed to widen a bit.

"I do forgive it, as I am not the one freezing their fingers off." He said somewhat neutrally, but there was a small glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "I'll take us somewhere warmer." With that, he made a small gesture to his wrist, and Andrew felt a tingling sensation before they disappeared, then reappeared in the middle of a tropical retreat almost instantly.

* * *

For a moment, Mipsey was sure that she had felt something familiar, like her Master. But then it was gone again, and she sank back into despair. She had heard stories of elves going insane after the deaths of their masters, and it terrified her that she was going to do the same.

* * *

Andrew scrambled to take off his heavy clothes, and gave Harry a scowl when he didn't look the least bit bothered by the heat.

"What was that!?" He asked as he pulled off his second shirt and threw it to the ground.

"The transportation?" Harry asked.

Andrew nodded distractedly as he pulled off yet another layer.

"We call it beaming." He said, and Andrew guessed that 'we' meant Harry and his wizard guardian, whoever he or she was.

"It wasn't that bad." He commented, making a face as he thought of the first time he had used a portkey. That had been bloody embarrassing, and his uncle Sirius still mentioned it whenever they got together. He had only been five, of course he would lose his balance!

Harry shrugged slightly before his face turned serious. "You said that they are forcing you to go back to Hogwarts?"

Andrew was a bit taken aback at the sudden change in topic, but he nodded. He was going back tomorrow, after all.

Harry seemed to grumble to himself, a lot of the words sounding like spells; latin, but not quite, and Andrew wondered just what language it was.

"What happens if you don't go back?" Harry asked, and Andrew winced. Harry wasn't exactly fond of his parents, so he likely wouldn't care what happened to them.

"My mum and Dad would go to Azkaban for obstructing the education of the Ministry's precious boy-who-lived." He muttered bitterly.

Harry snorted, and Andrew turned to glare at him, only receiving a raised eyebrow in response. "Oh come on Andrew, I'm not laughing at the idea of your parents being thrown in jail, I'm laughing at how stupid these wizards really are."

Andrew sighed softly. His father had mentioned once how much disdain Harry had for their culture. He had seen it before, in Disney, but he had thought it was just something he said in the heat of the moment.

"I mean really, what to they think is going to happen if they force you to go there?" Harry asked rhetorically. "You don't even want to go back."

Andrew narrowed his eyes at him and said. "Get to the bloody point already."

Harry's eyebrow rose again, before he said. "You make them regret taking you back, show leaving wasn't your parent's idea, but yours, and give the school a black eye in the process by purposely failing, refusing to participate in class, refusing to take their punishments, whatever. The only reason students are afraid of all these punishments they don't want to be expelled, so they'll be forced to either expel you, or keep you, and continue suffering as you bring down their reputation."

Harry thanked his mental connection, and Merlin, for helping him with that little speech.

Andrew stared at Harry. Was he insane? His education was everything. If he didn't do well, he'd never have a job. He'd have to live off of the family fortune and do nothing. And since when did he know so much about schooling?

"But...what if they threaten Mum and Dad?" He asked. That was what he was most afraid of. He couldn't lose his parents over something like his schooling, even if he hated the attention and harassment.

Harry sighed before holding the bridge of his nose as if thinking. In reality, he was asking Merlin what he should do in that case.

_If the worst comes to pass, we can always just beam them away and take them back to Paradise. _Merlin said.

Harry grimaced at the thought of it, but conceded.

"If we have to, we can take them somewhere safe." Harry said, trying to hide a second grimace. He didn't even want to imagine their reactions after learning he had been alive all this time, and that their own son had been hiding it from them.

Andrew looked doubtful, and asked. "What if they're in Azkaban?"

Harry shook his head. "Then we sneak in and beam them out, simple as that."

Andrew gaped at him before he seemed to regain his composure. "But the wards-"

"Do not know about this method of transportation." Harry cut in. "If they don't know about it, then they can't ward against it either."

Andrew nodded numbly, still trying to process the idea of transportation that ignored all other existing wards.

"And while we're here..." Harry sent a small message to the ship to beam something down.

A moment later, the desired necklace appeared on the jungle ground. It looked similar to the device he wore around his own neck, but was instead a health monitor, along with a personal force-field once used to protect civilians from the Wraith's life-sucking abilities. The force-field would block everything Harry could think of, but he wasn't sure how much it could protect against magic. Finally, he had included something that was given to young telepaths when they were first training their powers. It would make his mind 'stay put' for lack of a better term, and also made it near impossible for other telepaths to sense and access their minds. Given that the Wizards were descended from the Ancients, Harry was fairly certain there had to be some form of telepathy left in the Wizarding world.

Harry was likely going to upgrade his own pendant once this was done. It wouldn't be a good thing if a wizard was able to access his mind at will.

"Um, thanks?" Andrew almost asked, before he took a closer look and his eyes widened.

"Your guardian is a descendant of Merlin?" He asked in awe. That symbol could likely only mean one thing.

Harry froze for a moment, before he managed to control himself, but Andrew had already seen. Damn it. He had not wanted to give something like this away.

"He is." Harry admitted grudgingly. "And no, you are not going to meet him, he is very...seclusive."

He heard Merlin's mental snort and sent the equivalent of a dirty look back to him before refocusing on Andrew.

"This is something that will tell me if you are hurt, and where you are just in case something happens, so we can come and get you." He didn't mention anything about the shield, knowing that it would be better Andrew didn't think it would just protect him from spells indefinitely. This way it would just give him a second chance to escape.

Andrew was a bit annoyed at the thought of needing to be protected like this, but he brushed it off quickly enough. If Harry watching him all of the time guaranteed his safety while at Hogwarts, then he'd just grin and bear it. After all, where had the teachers been when he had nearly been killed by the troll?

"Is it what you..." Andrew gestured towards Harry's neck, and his brother nodded, touching the pendant there before letting his arm fall back to his side.

"Huh." Andrew said, before he slowly reached for it and picked it up from the earthy ground.

Without a word, Harry stepped forward and made sure it was clasped properly around his neck, and wasn't surprised when it disappeared from his view. "Just don't play with it when you're in public." He advised. "With how many people you said stare at you, at least one will notice, and then they'll try and take it away from you."

Andrew nodded, then stepped closer and extended his hand. Harry stared at it then took it a moment later and shook, before letting go.

"Thank you." Andrew murmured. He smiled sheepishly, wondering how many times he was going to end up thanking Harry before he returned the favor.

* * *

February 1

The next day, Andrew appeared through the Hogsmeade floo with his parents, holding his head high. Even just from entering the room, he could see several dirty looks being thrown his way, and it irritated him. Harry was right. These people were idiots.

The journey up to the castle gates was rather somber. Lily's hands were clasping at the front of her robes, a nervous gesture his dad said she had since before she was a first year.

His dad was nearly ramrod straight as he walked, his expression cold and angry. He was nearly grinding his teeth by the time they reached the gates and they opened, only for a twinkly eyed Dumbledore to be waiting behind them.

Andrew clenched his jaw. Didn't the meddling bastard have anything else to do besides wait for him to come back?

"Ah, Mr. Potter, it is so good to see you again. I suggest you meet with your head of house so that you can catch up on the notes you missed. A Ms. Granger was most enthusiastic in offering hers."

Andrew hid a wince at the mention of her and looked away from the old man. His father had mentioned something about him being able to look into other people's minds, that he had used it to interrogate lower level death-eaters in the previous war.

He looked at his parents, seeing their set expressions, and squared his shoulders, trying to look strong. He walked up to the castle alone, fingering his wand nervously, but trying to show no fear. Harry had said something that had to be a proverb. "If you are thinking of your fear, then you are not thinking enough of reacting to what you fear." Harry had explained that it was better to not suppress the fear, but to channel it into his anger, his fighting, to make himself stronger without acting stupid. Andrew had no idea how to do that, so he was just going to stick with not letting his fear show. It made more sense.

* * *

Harry watched Andrew through the sensors, admittedly feeling a little worried about him. He had tried to hide it, but it had been easy to see how scared he was of coming back to the school. It had nearly made him see red when he learned just how his brother had been treated in that building that somehow passed as a school, that no one had even tried to help him because of who he was. How could any teacher be so blind to a student's suffering? Or even worse, notice it and ignore it because of who they were?

He paused and gave a rueful snort. The same had happened to him because of the false reputation the Dursleys gave him. Dudley could be punching him in the playground and the teachers would ignore it, thinking that Dudley was just putting 'that Potter boy' in his place.

Harry shook his head, trying to force the thoughts away. He had Merlin now, he would support him no matter what. As for Andrew, well he couldn't just let his brother suffer in that place alone, especially not now that he knew him better. He didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

No, Andrew was going to be watched every second he was in that place, even if it made the both of them feel uncomfortable. As far as he knew, the tracker on that pendent was very difficult to interfere with, and it would allow him to beam Andrew out in case of emergency.

It had been Merlin's idea at Paradise, but Harry thought it would be a good thing to start building a base of sorts on Earth's moon. He wanted to be close to his brother in case something happened.

Like with the moon in orbit of Paradise, there would be the same inertial device inserted into it's core, making sure that it only exerted the same amount of gravity on Earth as it normally did.

He was thinking that with the gravity never changing, that the moon would be ideal for building a shipyard(cloaked of course), maybe even factories for the ZPMs and drones. After all, there was still that outpost under the ice in Antarctica, and he doubted that it would still be powered after all these years. With that platform fully stocked, as well as a base on the moon, he doubted that there were many ships that would be able to survive such a defense, if an attack ever came.

The few observation satelites that he and Merlin had constructed and sent out made him think that the Goa'uld, for all their numbers, were far below the ancients in technology and weapons. He didn't know what else was out there, but for the moment, a hidden defense such as this would do fine.

* * *

February 23

Hogwarts

Andrew was smiling as he ignored Dumbledore's latest summons to his office. Though he hated the fact he was neglecting his education, it was _fun_ making Dumbledore's idea backfire so spectacularly. Already several students were wondering just why he hadn't been expelled yet, from all the detentions that he had missed, not to forget his lack of attendance, let alone assignments. It had several of them (the Weasley twins especially obvious) starting to do the same, and he hoped that the teachers were starting to get a headache from that. It served them right for the way they treated him!

He did actually study on his own, just not for the teachers. Andrew spent most of his time in the Library, well in sight of the Librarian in case someone wanted to try something with him. As of right now, she was his favorite person within the castle right now, if only because anytime someone tried to bother him, she chased them out, not wanting her precious books damaged. Pipsey delivered his food from home every meal at his parent's insistence, and he often would hide somewhere before taking out the family invisibility cloak and disappearing, giving him his peace.

Flitwick, whom his mother praised for his personality and teaching style, seemed accepting of his behavior, even though he often looked at him sadly every time he failed to turn in his assignments. His class, along with Herbology, were the only ones he actually went to, preferring to spend most of his time alone and away from his _devoted_ fans.

His house was not very happy with him, after all the points he had lost them, but to be honest, who cared about them? As much as he hated it, Harry was right, almost everyone in this school seemed to be idiots when it came to him. If they thought that him not working on his studies meant he was somehow going dark, then they really needed to visit St. Mungos for a sanity potion. He was eleven years old for Merlin's sake, how could he possibly start going dark at this age?

One of his year was starting to get increasingly vocal about his failure to attend class, that same girl that offered her notes to him after he came back. Hermione Granger really did have a shrill voice when she was angry, which seemed to be whenever he was in her presence.

She didn't understand.

None of them did.

His parents, especially his mum, didn't really like what he was doing, but they went along with it because of the way they had been forced into coming back. His mother had taken to giving him assignments from the books she had at home, grading them and making sure he understood before he went any further in the topic. She couldn't do this for potions, but Andrew didn't care for the subject that much anyway, thanks to Snape and his caustic comments about his father.

He and Harry were talking nearly every night, mostly about silly things, but Harry also giving him little tidbits about what he was researching. He hinted that he wasn't as powerless as Andrew thought he was, but didn't give him much more information than that, teasing him.

Andrew believed that Harry could defend himself though, the way he had reacted to his punch at Disney made it seem he had a lot of practice in physical defense.

He still had yet to talk about his mysterious guardian, but Andrew was sure he was wearing him down. There were only so many times Harry would be able to take 'who is he?' before he cracked.

Yes, Andrew was surprisingly happy right now.

He just hoped that his good luck while he was stuck in this bloody school would last.

* * *

Author's note:

I hope I'm not boring anyone with the stuff about the ships and technology, but I needed to have Harry start doing these things for later in the story.

As for Mipsey, no she isn't going insane, she really did notice Harry. Its just that as a squib, there is a much shorter range that he can be tracked by her, only a few hundred miles, compared to anywhere in the world for Wizards.

(1) In the episode 48 hours(season 5 episode 14) we learn that the gate has an energy buffer that an incoming traveler goes through before being reintegrated on the other side. This shows that it is possible for an energy signature to be transformed into Matter.

Posted: 6/3/13


	8. Chapter 7

Ok, I have a few things to say about last chapter:

Firstly, I apologize if me bashing the american wizards offended anybody, that was not my intention; I was just trying to show how a longer lived people, despite their differences, would be just as slow to change and forget as their counterparts in Britain.

Secondly, a couple of reviewers mentioned problems with the moon base idea:

First, yes the gravity module in the center of the moon has self repairing capabilities, so long as there is material around it. Same goes for refueling its power generation.

Also, for the second concern of Harry having to be careful about what he puts on the moon, because of him having to give it back to the Earth governments...he would likely just remove or destroy the factories once they were discovered, taking the technology with him.

I am glad that these reviewers were asking those questions though, it really helps me come up with other ideas when people point out stuff like that.

Last time:

Harry:

_It had been Merlin's idea, but Harry thought it would be a good thing to start building a base of sorts on Earth's moon. There would be the same inertial device inserted in the moon's core, making sure that it only exerted the same amount of gravity on Earth as it normally did._

_He was thinking that with the gravity never changing, that the moon would be ideal for building a shipyard, maybe even factories for the ZPMs and drones. After all, there was still that outpost under the ice in Antarctica, and he doubted that it would still be powered after all these years. With that platform fully stocked, as well as a base on the moon, he doubted that there were many ships that would be able to survive that._

Andrew:

_He and Harry were talking nearly every night, mostly about silly things, but Harry also giving him little tidbits about what he was researching. He hinted that he wasn't as powerless as Andrew thought he was, but didn't give him much more information than that, teasing him._

_He still had yet to talk about his mysterious guardian, but Andrew was sure he was wearing him down. There were only so many times Harry would be able to take 'who is he?' before he cracked._

_Yes, Andrew was surprisingly happy right now._

_He just hoped that his good luck would last._

Ch7:

February 29, 1992

Regency Square Mall

Florida

Harry was feeling more than a little overwhelmed with the late afternoon hustle and bustle of the Mall he found himself in. There were so many stores, most of them on one floor. There were were kids screaming as they ran around and their parents trying to keep up with them. Teenagers were 'hanging out' in various corners, and the chaotic scene was overlaid by the bright and obnoxious signs for various sales in the department stores.

Harry was here for only one reason, to find a present for Joshua's birthday. Of course, he had no idea just what would work for that. He walked into a toy store, thinking that it was the best place to find something, and nearly groaned when he saw just how many toys they had on the shelves. How was he supposed to find something that Joshua would like?

He spent several minutes looking for something on his own before he swallowed his pride and asked one of the clerks what an appropriate toy for an eight year old boy would be. He was led over to an area filled with brightly covered plastic and metal balls. Apparently they were some kind of magnetic construction kit.

After a moment of considering, he shrugged to himself and thanked the clerk. It took him several more minutes to choose a pack that wasn't too expensive, (he didn't want to offend Joshua's parents by showing off his money) or too inexpensive either. Of course, that decision was put on hold when he heard an urgent beeping in his head. Andrew was fighting someone, and he was losing badly.

Harry swore quietly and ran into a secluded corner of the store, looking for any cameras and people before he asked his ship to beam him directly to the gates of Hogwarts.

* * *

That same moment

Hogwarts

"Mr. P-p-potter, If I c-could p-please talk to you for a m-mom-ment?"

Andrew turned to see Professor Quirrell standing behind him and snorted, turning his back. He hadn't attended Quirells class since he got back, it just showed how incompent he was that he waited this long to come and talk to him.

He didn't care if he was rude, after all, it was what people expected the arrogant no-good boy-who-lived to be.

He was walking away when he heard a hissed word, almost like a spell, and dove forward against the stones, scraping his arms slightly.

"Now Mr. Potter, that wasn't very polite." Quirrells voice said, this time without the stutter, and Andrew fumbled for his wand before firing the first spell he could think of. "Reducto!" he shouted, and Quirrell lazily threw up a nonverbal shield to block before dispelling it and firing conjured ropes at him. Andrew tried to dodge, and was surprised when a bright green shield flared around his person, protecting him from the ropes. Was this another part of the pendant Harry hadn't talked about?

Quirrell seemed surprised, then fired another spell. Andrew scrambled to dodge, and a small crater formed in the stone that sent him flying into the wall. His impact was softened slightly by the green shield, but he still felt light of breath, and struggled to get to his feet.

Quirrell was looking amused. "Do get up Mr. Potter, I do not have all day." Andrew glared at him, trying to take a deep breath and faking a coughing fit before he fired another Reducto, this time aimed at Quirrell's feet. The man swore before another shield protected him from the debris, and Andrew started to run in the opposite direction, opening his mouth to shout for Pipsey. He felt something slam into him and careened into the wall. This time, the power of the spell was too much for the shield, and it collapsed under the strain, leaving him dazed and nearly unconscious.

"You are more adept than I thought Mr Potter." He heard, before a muttered spell sent him into unconsciousness.

* * *

Harry reappeared almost instantly, and asked for his staff from the ship as well. It was quickly beamed to the ground beside him, and quickly grabbed it and ran, hoping that there was no-one to see him at this late hour. His ship was tracking the signal of his brother, but it was getting fainter, as he suddenly dropped a great height. Harry panicked, asking his ship to beam him in the closest place to that location. He reappeared in front of a gigantic three headed dog and bit back a surprised scream when he realized it was asleep, a harp playing in the background. A moment later he noticed the trap-door and jumped down, grabbing his staff tightly and using it to slow himself down as he grew closer to the bottom of the shaft.

He found himself landing on something wet and slimy, and startled briefly when he realized it was moving. A moment later his staff was glowing brightly, and the giant _plant_ seemed to shudder as it tried to get away from the light. He fell through it and landed on the ground, jarring himself with the impact.

His connection to the ship was very weak now, and Andrew's was almost non-existent. He ran forward, seeing a locked door in front of him with hundreds of flying... keys? around it. What the hell? Was this some kind of test or something?

He gave the two brooms hovering over the ground a look, nearly scoffing, before he looked around the room for a key that looked like it would match the door. He saw one that was flying strangely, its wings slightly crumpled, and reached out for it. He pulled it towards him, but the thing was putting up one hell of a fight. With a near snarl, he poured his power into the staff and the key zoomed into his hand, leaving him panting slightly.

He nearly threw it in the door and moved through.

The next room was occupied by a gigantic chessboard, and Harry started to run through before his way was blocked by the pieces. He didn't have any time for this. He ran towards the pieces and jumped, using the staff to propel himself over them. He noticed the pieces were trying to come after him, and thumbed the power control of his staff weapon, overpowering it and breaking down the door. He knew that the weapon would be next to useless now, but he had no time. He would have to fight using only his telekinesis.

The next room had some kind of monstrous creature that made his nose water, and he ran around its prone body, panting lightly. As he ran through the next room he noticed a fire spring up into existence in front of him and made a split second decision he knew Merlin would yell at him about later. Without stopping, he jumped forward and dove through the flames, allowing his shield to protect him for the brief moment it needed to.

The final chamber was empty except for a gigantic mirror, his brother, and a man wearing a purple turban on his head. The man hadn't seemed to notice him though, so focused was he on the mirror in front of him. Andrew looked to be out cold, but Harry was relieved to see the up and down movements of his chest. He was alive.

(1)"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured,tapping his way around the frame.

"Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..."

He seemed to mutter a bit more as Harry got closer, until he held his head in his hands, frustrated.

"I don't understand... is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"

Harry's mind was racing. What stone was he talking about? Was it some kind of magical artifact that this Dumbledore had hidden in the mirror? What did it do?

The turban man still hadn't noticed him. He was still talking to himself. "What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!" And to Harry's surprise, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from the turban man himself.

"Use the boy... Use the boy..." (/1)

With that other voice's answer, the turban man sent a spell at Andrew before Harry could react, and Andrew abruptly woke up, shaking his head. Harry readied his power, and froze when he saw Andrew look at him. He shook his head wildly, but it was too late, Quirrell spun around and shot a spell at him at a speed that he barely dodged.

"Who are you!" He demanded, before a realization seemed to come over him. "Ah, the forgotten twin, my Lord mentioned you." Harry was honestly confused, then remembered what Merlin had told him. His magic had been damaged when he was young. This man's Lord was the reason why?

Though the thought angered him, he kept his face clear and dodged the next series of attacks, noting how they took chunks out of the wall behind him. The debris could be useful later.

"Why-are-you-so-hard-to-hit?" The man growled imbetween the spells he sent, and Harry didn't answer. Instead, he jumped to the right, and gestured with his staff, swinging as though he were about to hit a tennis ball. A chunk of stone about the size of his head rocketed at the man, who seemed shocked for a moment before he gestured sharply with his wand and the stone exploded into dust.

Harry didn't waste the time though, reaching out with his power and creating pressure around the man's neck. The man seemed to stop, reaching for his neck and gasping while the other voice hissed. "What magic is this?"

Harry didn't have any time to answer though, as a shouted "reducto!" crashed into the man's back at near point blank range, crushing his spine and killing him with the shock. Harry stared as the man fell soundlessly, a black wraith flying out of the body with a shriek before it flew out of the room.

"Are you alright?" He ran up to his brother, checking for any injuries. He didn't seem that bad, but Harry had no idea what kinds of damage magic could do.

Andrew gave a hysterical sob. "I killed him Harry! I killed him! How the bloody hell do you think I am?"

Harry quickly knelt down and shushed him, helping him up slowly and moving him over to a wall he could lean on. He felt a message from his ship and stiffened, before he gestured towards his staff and it zoomed into his hand. He winced when he saw Andrew's eyes narrow on him.

"I promise I'll tell you about it later." He said, looking around nervously. "But someone's coming, and I can't be seen."

Andrew made an un-identifiable sound before he grunted and reached toward his pocket, slowly pulling out a cloak made of a shimmering material. "Put it on, it'll hide you." He said, and Harry scrambled to do so. He didn't notice anything different, but Andrew's eyes seemed to be looking right through him. A moment later, he said. "Go Harry, I'll be fine now." And with that, he called "Pipsey!" And a small elf appeared, looking very similar to Mipsey. Harry guessed this was her brother or something.

The elf began making panicked noises, and Andrew asked it to take him home. They disappeared with a small pop, and Harry hurried out of the room.

He felt another mind coming close to him as he entered the chess set, and hid in the shadows, even with the so called invisibility cloak. A moment later, an old man with a ridiculously long white beard appeared, running through the room. The chess pieces let him pass without any resistance, and Harry waited until he was out of the room to run back into the key room, then climb up the shaft with the help of his staff. As soon as he was able to establish his connection to his ship again, he beamed himself out.

* * *

March 3

Lakeland

Florida

After that scare with his brother four days ago, Harry was glad to have something that should at least be cheerful. Andrew had sent him news that he was fine, and going back to Hogwarts once the St. Mungos healer allowed him. She was a apparently an old friend of the family named Andromeda.

Andrew also mentioned that his parents were absolutely furious with Dumbledore, and surprisingly, the man was getting a bit of flack from the populace for the danger that 'the savior' had been put in. Harry found it completely ridiculous.

His brother had told him before that they expected him to be this awesome wizard, able to do anything and not need any help. And now they were all angry because Dumbledore had allowed their savior to come to harm. How...hypocritical.

He snorted. That word just seemed to sum up the wizards.

Andrew was having some counseling for his part in killing Quirrel, and Harry had no idea how it must have felt. He had been choking the man, sure, but he had not dealt the final blow. Andrew had, and now he was likely living with the guilt and self-hate that came with that. Harry just hoped that this wouldn't destroy him. He had already hardened so much over the past few months.

Wanting to forget what happened at that school, Harry had returned to the mall only a few hours after he had left. He bought the same toy that he had been going to before, after checking the other options that were available.

He had some trouble wrapping up the magnet set he bought, so in the end he decided to just put it in a large bag stuffed with a strange cloth like paper covering what was inside.

The house was rather ordinary looking. Two stories, red-clay rooftiles, and a small deck that ended about thirty meters from the shore of lake Hollingsworth. It was a nice little place.

Even from outside, he could hear the sounds of shrieking and laughter, and the mailbox had two balloons tied to it.

There were several cars parked over the street, and as Harry got closer he saw another car pull up and a young family come out. The oldest child looked to be about eight or nine. Suddenly Harry wondered if it was such a good idea to have come. He was likely much older than most of the guests.

He followed the family to the door, smiling politely as the parents looked at him strangely, and they rang the doorbell, Harry several steps behind them and holding the bag behind his back.

A few seconds later Helen opened the door. "Thank you for coming!" She exclaimed, and greeted the family, starting with the parents and then moving onto the kids before they went further inside. Then she saw Harry and smiled. "Harry! Its good to see you!"

"You too." Harry said, and though she smiled at him, he saw a look of confusion in her face. He shrugged it off and brought the present from behind his back with a flourish. "For Joshua," He said, and she gave him an exasperated look. "You didn't need to bring him a gift Harry."

Harry waved a hand. "I wanted to get him something, but if you guys don't want it you can take it back and trade it in for something else, I won't mind."

That look seemed to deepen before she sighed dramatically. "Alright Harry, if thats what you want."

Harry shrugged. "It wasn't that big a deal for me, I just wanted something that Joshua would like."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Ok Harry, no need to justify yourself anymore." Then she paused and said. "Where are my manners, go in already...!"

Harry did as she said, smiling lightly at her behavior. There was no-one inside, but there were plenty of photos, most of them Joshua in one way or another. He couldn't help but smirk a little at some of the faces he pulled in the more recent pictures. One in particular looked like he was trying to run before it was taken.

Outside there was a grill, and the majority of the kids were running around on the grass while the adults were either standing or sitting at collapsable tables. There was a small dock to the lake, but Harry couldn't see any boats.

"Hey Harry!" He heard a familiar voice and saw Dan waving at him with a band t-shirt, he didn't know which one, and jeans. He was working at the grill, flipping burgers and grilling hot dogs at the same time. Harry smiled lightly and waved back.

"I'm glad you came." He said as Harry got closer. "Joshua's been bugging us about having his birthday earlier so that you'd come back sooner." Harry didn't know what to say. Even if those four days at Disney had felt like over a week, he hadn't expected Joshua to want him back that much.

Dan took in his surprise with a small laugh. "Yeah, you'd better watch out, when he finds you he'll probably stick to you like glue!"

Harry looked around mock-terrified, and Dan chuckled again before he flipped the last burger onto the serving plate and called. "Come get your burgers kids!"

Harry swore that for a moment, all of them froze as their heads looked for the meat, then there was a miniature stampede as they rushed at the barbaque.

Harry was embarrassed to admit he dove out of the way of the stampede, and Dan chortled a bit before he told him to get up.

Harry tried to, but the moment he started to get up he heard a squealed "Harry!" and was promptly knocked to the ground again with a new weight on his chest.

"Oof!" he huffed, and he heard laughter from all around him before the weight was pulled off.

"-have I told you about jumping on people Joshy?" He heard Helen scolding the boy and Joshua went bright red in embarrassment at the name.

"S-ok" Harry wheezed a bit as he got up, shaking his head violently to get rid of the dizzy feeling.

"You alright Harry?" He heard Dan's voice ask him, and he blinked a few times before he said. "I'm fine."

"Sorry Harry." Joshua said, and Harry gave him a rueful smile. "Its alright Joshua, just wait till I'm up before you do something like that ok?"

Joshua nodded fervently and Harry smiled before he ruffled his hair a bit. Joshua scowled at him, but he was quickly distracted when Dan started to serve the kids their burgers.

"He sure is fast for his size." Harry muttered, rubbing his stomach a bit. It felt like Merlin hitting him in one of their training sessions.

Dan gave him a commiserating look. "Yeah, he is." He then handed Harry a plate and directed Harry to the condiments. Harry joined the back of the line of kids waiting to decorate their burgers.

* * *

"Thank you Harry!" Joshua gasped as he dropped the present back into the box and ran over to Harry and hugged him.

"You're welcome Joshua." Harry smiled back, and Dan called out. "What is it buddy?"

Joshua ran back and took the small box of magnetic rods and balls out of the bag.

"It's awesome!" Joshua squealed, and Harry noticed a few jealous looks directed at the present. He rolled his eyes slightly. Kids were so obvious. He was willing to bet several of them would be asking their parents if they could get some of the same as well as soon as they left.

After the presents were opened, Helen brought out the cake and everyone sang. Harry hummed the tune slightly, but he didn't sing along, not knowing the words that well. He took his piece after the younger kids were served and took a bite, before he made a small face and scraped the majority of the frosting off. Given that most of the food he ate from the constructors was mainly designed for nutrition, something so obviously unhealthy would make him feel a little sick.

Joshua had no such reservations though, eating the frosting with a gusto that made Harry turn a little green.

Harry stayed for he remainder of the party, giving Joshua a hug before he left and promising that he would continue to answer his letters whenever he was able to. Again, he felt that same sadness for leaving them, stronger this time, but he pushed it away.

He beamed himself to his ship, then to his new quarters on the moon. He had found out about something called a polyjuice potion and it had given him a few ideas.

* * *

March 4

A few days after he was attacked by Quirrell Andrew was declared healthy enough to leave. Andromeda did ask if he wanted to stay a few days longer, but Andrew shook his head. The longer he was gone the more desperate his classmates would be when he returned.

Andrew hadn't told his parents that much about the attack, trying to make it seem like he had been injured and incoherent when Harry had protected him from Quirrell. His parents thought that Quirrell had been attacked by a man who hated Voldemort and was adept enough to at least distract him.

Andrew knew it was Voldemort, the fact that his scar had been burning like crazy was the most obvious reason. The fact that it was that monster only helped alleviate some of the guilt. He had known that man for the entire school year, and he had killed him.

Even with all the reassurances that it was self defense, that he had no reason to feel guilty about it, Andrew still did. He had several nightmares, and asked Andromeda for several doses of dreamless sleep. She had told his parents, and they consented, however reluctantly, but only if he was watched by Pipsey. They didn't want him to become addicted to the stuff.

As for his savior, Andrew hadn't said anything other than the fact the man seemed to be in his early twenties and that he wielded a silver staff. Both of his parents had looked confused and worried about the mention of the staff, and Andrew didn't blame them. Even Dumbledore, with all his power, was not able to use a staff.

That begged the question, so why was Harry? As far as he knew, Harry was a squib, unable to use magic. But he had, right in front of him. He didn't know what piece of the puzzle he was missing, but if he had to, he would bug Harry until he told him.

* * *

March 7

Andrew was not happy that his parents kept on trying to delay him from going back. He didn't care for going back, but he also didn't want to put up with all the dragonshit that would be piled on him from his _loving fans. _He knew that the longer he was gone, the more frenzied they would become.

So, he asked Pipsey to bring him his things(they had been retrieved from Hogwarts) and to bring him back to the school gates. He was unhappy that Harry still had the invisibility cloak, but he had no choice, so he brought his trunk up with him right in the middle of class and went to Professor McGonagall's office and knocked.

"Come in." He heard, and he pushed the door open. His head of house was sitting at her desk, grading papers.

"What is it...Mr Potter?" She asked in surprise."

Andrew nodded sharply, then said. "I only came back so my parents wouldn't get in trouble."

She seemed very cross for a moment before she sighed and nodded. "Aye, I can imagine you wouldn't want to come back after what happened." Andrew felt anger surge up in him. It was all about him being there, no one cared how he was really feeling, no; so long as he was there everything was perfectly fine.

"I haven't wanted to come back since Yule." He retorted angrily, before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm himself.

Her eyes were narrowed. "Is this why you insist on bringing down your house's chances for the cup?"

He snorted. "I don't care about the house cup, or about Hogwarts. The only reason I came back is 'cause the ministry would put my parents into Azkaban otherwise. This school could go to hell for all I care!" And he meant it. With all the crap that happened to him this year, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Mr. Potter!" She exclaimed angrily. "I have been tolerant of your behavior, but really, enough is enough. You will stop acting like a spoiled brat and attend your classes or I'll-"

"Expell me?" Andrew asked mock-hopefully.

McGonagall seemed to growl at him. "Just get out of my office Mr. Potter. If I have to see you again I will give you a detention with Hagrid."

Andrew shrugged his shoulders. If he hadn't gone to any of the detentions before why would he even think of going to one now?

"Whatever Professor." He said uncaringly. "Maybe next time I'll be injured enough to not come back for a year." The sad thing was that he actually meant it. He'd rather be stuck in a bed in Potter Manor for a year than be here.

With that he left her office, smiling lightly at the simmering anger that was all over her face. He didn't care what she thought. She had so many chances to stop the harassment before he had left for the first time, and hadn't lifted a finger to help him.

He wasn't so happy when he was nearly swarmed by the people in his house. He looked furtively to the shield on his chest and was unhappy when it didn't save him, so he resorted to pushing through his house mates and running up to his dorm. Maybe he would be able to contact Harry at this time?

* * *

Harry was currently in a cloaked orbit around the moon and sitting in his quarters. He hadn't expected to use them so soon, but his constructors had just finished creating the device that would make the lunar surface seem undisturbed while they built his outpost, and he wanted a little time to be on his own. Even if he did need interaction with people, he was still mostly introverted, needing to have some time to be alone and think.

He noticed the journal glowing and felt a small bit of worry before he brushed it off. He still hadn't explained himself to his brother, and he wondered if he ever would completely.

_Hey Harry, do you still have my cloak? I kinda need it back._

Harry nearly smacked his forehead. For the past few days there had been a nagging feeling that he had forgotten something. He sent a mental command to the ship and wrote.

_**You have it now?**_

There was a small pause, and then Andrew wrote:_ Yeah, just landed on my head, thanks for that. _

Harry smiled a bit and replied: **_No problem._**

There was a longer pause this time, before Andrew wrote:_ What happened with Quirrell?_

_**The turban man?**_

_Yes._

Harry didn't really want to explain. He knew that if he did, Andrew would start asking more questions, many of which he wasn't ready to answer. But he had also promised that he would...He grimaced and decided to give Andrew a little information, but not everything.

**_I am a squib, but I also have another gift that very rarely shows up in non-wizards called telekinesis. My guardian found out about me, I don't know how, and took me in, commissioning a staff for me that amplifies my power and control._**

_So, you've had this power all along?_

**_Since I was eight._**

* * *

Andrew was staring at the page in confusion. Harry said he had some other kind of power, telekinesis, and he had no idea what that really was. Then he remembered Harry throwing rocks at Quirrell without touching them, and Quirrell choking somehow.

_What is it exactly?_ He asked.

The next line was blank for a moment before Harry answered. _**Telekinesis is the power to move and manipulate physical objects with your mind. **_

_Like levitation and transfiguration?_

**_Yes to the first and no to the second; I can't change a material to another. _**

Still, it seemed like it was a pretty powerful ability.

_Anything else? _He asked jokingly.

* * *

Harry stared at the last question with some trepidation and decided that it would be for the best that Andrew didn't know he could go into people's minds and influence them.

_**That's all.**_

* * *

Authors note:

Yeah, I know this chapter is a lot shorter than the others, but I really couldn't add much more to it, it seemed good as it was.

The text within the (1) and (/1) is mostly the same as the text from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone.

Posted: 6/6/13


	9. Chapter 8

Answers to questions:

Ok, I've mentioned this several times now, but this story is GEN! not slash, not het, GEN. This is the last time I'm saying this. Again, the only place that there _could_ be a _hint _of a relationship for Harry in it is in the epilogue, whenever I get there.

There are two reasons why Harry isn't using the Repository to learn Lantean. One, he isn't an adult yet, so his brain is not completely ready for the knowledge dumps. And two, Merlin believes that if there is no struggle to learn something, then there is no point in trying to learn it in the first place, as shown by how he trains Harry in Lantean self defense.

And finally, I know I skipped a lot of time in the last chapter, but that was mainly because Harry was mostly working on various ideas and researching the engineering of different technologies. There was nothing important happening during that time.

Last Time:

The next line was blank for a moment before Harry answered. _**Telekinesis is the power to move and manipulate physical objects with your mind.**_

_Like levitation and transfiguration?_

**_Yes to the first and no to the second; I can't change a material to another._**

Still, it seemed like it was a pretty powerful ability.

_Anything else? _He asked jokingly.

Harry stared at the last question with some trepidation and decided that it would be for the best that Andrew didn't know he could go into people's minds.

_**That's all.**_

Ch8:

July 19th, 1992

Paradise

"I must admit that I'm impressed." Merlin said softly, looking over the strings of Data on his pad.

After his brother's school year had ended, Harry had been spending more time on paradise than on his recently started moon base. It was slow going, mainly because he only had a few constructors to spare from the other projects, and didn't mind the wait. If everything was so easy and fast to do, then he would quickly get bored.

This conversation was actually a byproduct of one of these fits of boredom. Harry had taken a risk and brought a small bar of naquada down to Earth with him and traded it to the Goblins. But he had not expected how much it was really worth to them.

Apparently, Naquada had existed on Earth thousands of years ago, but the combination of the wizards and the Goa'uld mining the material drained Earth's resources until there were only a few patches of the mineral left, all jealously guarded and hidden from the world. For goblins, the metal was priceless for its use in making mithril armor and weapons.

Mithril was a mixture of Naquada(for its energy conductivity and ampilification), Aluminum (low weight), and several other common elements. It was used as the ultimate metal for weapons, said to make enchantments last indefinitely and be near impossible to break once forged. Harry had to wonder how the goblins would react to Trinium.

Because of the naquada's rarity(for the goblins anyway), he had been paid a nigh ridiculous sum of gold for it. Harry almost immediately began asking Sharptooth to buy him a large amount of magical trinkets and enchanted items, and in response for his generosity, the first mithril weapons were given to him, a set of two unbreakable and ever sharp daggers.

Those daggers were what Merlin was so impressed about. Harry had almost immediately brought back the daggers to Paradise, knowing that Gringotts had a reputation for having the best metalsmiths and enchanters on Earth, and that the daggers were bound to have something important.

"This is incredible Harry." Merlin whispered. He was trying to keep his voice calm, but after years of living with the Hologram, Harry could tell he was more than a little excited.

"What is it?" He asked, and Merlin made a gesture before an image appeared in front of them. It looked like a molecular structure of some sort.

"These goblins know their metalwork." Merlin breathed as he stared at the image. Harry though was completely confused. What was so different about the metal?

"Remember Harry, what you were learning a year ago about chemical bonds?"

"Yes..?" Harry said. He did remember most of what Merlin had been teaching him, but he wasn't sure what exactly...wait a minute.

"They did something to change the chemical bonds?" He asked excitedly.

Merlin nodded thoughtfully. "The strange energy field surrounding the metal actually increases the strength of the bonds, but for some reason the material's density remains the same. I have never seen something like this before."

He didn't show it, but Harry could see his excitement. This went against most, if not all of the laws of chemistry and physics, but both of them could see just how useful this energy would be in reinforcing a ship.

"You should ask these goblins if they can make something that protects from energy as well." Merlin said, and Harry nodded before he quickly beamed up to his ship. He couldn't wait to see what else they could learn.

* * *

July 23,

Potter Manor

Andrew was _really _bored. And by that he meant that he would be ready to scream if he didn't get out of the house. Harry said that he was very busy at the moment, something about studying goblin made metal and trying to replicate its effects. Andrew honestly had no idea jut why he was so excited, but he guessed his younger brother was just strange that way.

His parents had all but given up on finding him tutors, so instead they brought in members of the Order of the Phoenix, or at least those that were not fanatically loyal to Dumbledore, to train him in dueling. He threw himself into the lessons, practicing under the manor's wards made sure that he would not be detected by the Improper Use of Magic Office. Even with Harry's special pendant around his neck, it had been laughable how quickly Quirrell had knocked him out.

He knew that at his current stage of his education, it was unlikely that he would be able to beat an adult, but he still hated that feeling of helplessness. He wasn't angry at Harry for helping him, but at the same time his pride felt more than a little diminished. He didn't want to depend on his brother for his own protection, but until he could defend himself, he would have to.

"Alright lad, now just try it one more time." Moody instructed him. Andrew could do small battle spells such as reducto, a remarkable feat for his age. The problem was that he did not have the magical stamina to fire the higher level spells without feeling weak and drained.

He also wanted to learn muggle fighting, like Harry did. He had seen how well Harry did in the fight with Quirrell, and most of the time he had only been dodging, not even fighting back.

His father wasn't so amused. Despite his marrying of his mother, James was still raised as a pureblood, and thought that magical fighting was the only way. His mother was a bit more supportive of the idea, but still thought that martial arts had no place in a wizarding duel.

It was so annoying. Even when he explained that the 'man with the silver staff' used it, they still thought that it was not something that he needed to learn.

Andrew concentrated on the effect he wanted and shouted "Bombarda!" A near colorless stream of light left his wand and pulverized the rock he was using as a target.

Moody frowned though as he panted lightly and shook his head. "You've got the spell casting down Lad, but you're still using too much magic when you do. There are three things that are important to a duel. They are?

"Control, speed, and technique." Andrew repeated dutifully. Mad eye had made him repeat the words for nearly an hour before he was satisfied he'd remember.

"And what is your problem in this case?"

"Control."

Mad eye nodded. "Good."

He then waved his wand and conjured a chair, before sitting down heavily. "I don't say this much lad, but you have a lotta drive for this."

Andrew nodded sharply. "I just don't want to be so helpless next time."

Moody's eyebrow rose, then he gave Andrew a frightening smile. "That's good lad, you should always be alert. Remember, Constant Vigilence!" He barked the last two words, and Andrew was proud that he managed to keep completely still. When Moody had started to train him he would constantly try to startle him with the words, and it worked until he decided enough was enough and controlled his reaction.

He still did roll his eyes though, and dodged the half-hearted slap aimed at his head.

* * *

July 29

For all their faults, humanity sure did know how to fight. Harry mused.

The sad fact was, that until Humanity found itself some kind of common enemy outside of their own world, Harry doubted that they would be able to find peace among themselves. There were just so many differences in culture and beliefs that the clashes were unavoidable, especially from those that believed everyone but them was wrong and those that were wrong needed to be punished.

It was something that was always seen in civilization, even the Ancients had their internal disputes and spats, though none of them came to the same amount of violence. Well, with the exception of when the Ancients split from the rest of their civilization in their home galaxy.

If there was one thing that Humanity was good at, it was war. Modern warfare especially, seemed to be designed to do as much damage to the enemy as possible without taking much damage to your own forces.

In space, the most important thing of war was positioning, how the placement of a fleet would affect the outcome. Ships that specialized in long range weaponry could be torn apart by ships designed for the opposite, if they got too close. Slower ships needed protection from smaller, more agile vessels. Fighters needed to stay away from ships that would shoot them down.

Of all the military forces on earth, the various strategies used by the Navies were the closest to the strategies needed for Celestial warfare. Their ships were focused on specific tasks, whether they be to attack with infiltrators, destroy infiltrators, attack other ships, launch fighters, or even attack land from a distance. What Harry wanted was something similar.

From the probes he and Merlin had sent out, Harry learned that the Goa'uld were a mostly feudal society, constantly warring with each other and trying to annex other territories as their own. They were also very paranoid, leaving the majority of their fleets in defense of their planets.

The sheer size of these fleets amazed Harry. The minor Goa'uld tended to have several hundred to a few thousand ships, but the Goa'uld known as the system lords...Harry was sure they were compensating for something.

Harry had observed a battle between two of the System Lords. Their sense of strategy was nearly appalling. They didn't care about their losses, only victory, and though their ships were fast and maneuverable, they used no precision in their attacks. It was like watching two bullies throwing blind punches at each other, all brute force and no strategy.

They also employed fighters and bombers, but they only had limited effectiveness against the enemy shields. The bombers, Al'kesh, were taken down somewhat easily by the fighters, and the fighters themselves were not very accurate to begin with. Harry wondered if the only reason Cronus won that battle was because he had the larger fleet.

Even with his distaste of watching them fight, he learned a lot from the battle. Already he was using the sensors to analyze the weak points of the ships, where his ships would need to fire to disable rather than destroy. He just hoped that he wouldn't need to use them for years yet, he and Merlin had only now started designing their second ship, one Harry was pushing to be called the Ares, for the greek god of war. It would be a battleship, that much he knew, but how it would look and fight were unknowns at this point.

* * *

July 31

Harry's 12th birthday was pretty much like every other day. According to Merlin, there was no such thing as a celebration for birthdays for Lanteans, who often lived to at least 90, and that was if they were unhealthy. The median life span for them was around 140 to 170 years, thanks to their nutrition, superior biology, and their ability to cure nearly all diseases. This was without the usage of technologies that halted or even reversed aging. If a Lantean should wish to, they could live for a great deal of time, becoming immortal so long as they had access to healing machinery.

Such Lanteans were often quite seclusive, but were sometimes sought out for their experience and knowledge. And thanks to their level of technology, their long lives were of no burden to Lantean society as a whole.

So instead of using his birthday for celebration, Harry was using it as an excuse to begin designing what he called a hardsuit, a physical shell of flexible armor that surrounded its wielder and protected them from energy attacks. Its main purpose though, was to allow Harry to project a false image around himself, to make him appear to be someone else. Said projection would be made of hard light, making him physically appear to be another person altogether. Just like the polyjuice potion that gave Wizards so much trouble in several of the past wars.

As he worked on the rough draft on his tablet(the same kind that Merlin was using) he also kept an eye on the various projects that Merlin had going on. The ZPM factory in the bowels of the resort was creating a new ZPM every few days, which would take nearly a decade to mature into their final forms. There were several drone factories in orbit, which also doubled as defense platforms to launch the drones, if there was ever an attack on the planet.

Merlin was holding off on making the defensive satellites for now, given how much material they took. Harry was just wishing that there was some way to generate more power. The ZPMs were a very useful resource, but they could deplete very quickly when a shield was under stress. The same went for creating matter with energy. No matter how powerful ZPMs were, they would still drain rather quickly if used to create matter. The naquada generators, while not running out of power, worked at a much slower rate than the ZPMs.

Harry frowned for a moment, his previous idea put on a backburner. What kind of constant power source would be enough to build matter from energy continuously?

A moment later, Harry froze, his mind nearly frozen with the most ridiculous idea he had ever come up with.

_Hey Merlin? Can we make a sun? _He sent over the mental link.

A moment later, there was a very cross sounding Merlin answering him. _No, we can not make a sun Harry, we have no idea how much the space around it would be affected. _

_Oh. _Harry answered sadly. _Then do you know of any really powerful stars in the Milky Way? _

Merlin almost sounded like he was spluttering. _My race has been traveling the stars for millions of years Harry! Of course we've catalogued the stars in this galaxy!_

_OK then, can you help me build something? I think I've figured out how to solve our production problems. _

Merlin seemed to sigh before he was beamed into Harry's room.

"How powerful is Lantean solar technology?" Harry asked him.

Merlin floundered for a moment, not knowing why Harry was asking so many strange questions. "It is very efficient, collecting nearly 100% of the energy that strikes it. Why?"

"I had a crazy idea..." Harry started, and Merlin made an impatient motion with his hand. "You said that all we needed to create matter was a lot of energy right? So why not use a sun for that energy?"

Merlin paused in thought. "You are speaking of a solar station in orbit of a sun?"

Harry's grin was nearly insane. "No, a solar panel _around_ the sun."

* * *

August 1

Andrew was certain that he _was_ insane. Even with all the work his tutors were giving him, he wanted to learn more, to be able to fight better. It had gotten to the point that his parents had to tell him to slow down. But he couldn't slow down, he had to to the best he possibly could. He knew that there were a lot of people angry at him with how he, the boy who lived, was repeating his first year, and he was terrified of being so helpless again.

Quirrell had been _toying_ with him. Granted, he was being controlled by one of the most powerful wizards known, but still, he felt that he should have at least done better, distracted him better, run away faster, _something._ But he hadn't, and it bothered him greatly, even with all the lessons and tutors his parents were piling on him.

Eventually, he lowered his pride to ask Harry for yet another favor: If he could find some way to get him self defense classes. Harry said that he would take him somewhere outside of Britain to talk, and Andrew agreed before he was beamed away, to that same tropical area Harry had brought him before.

"Ugg." He moaned at the sudden increase in heat and humidity. Why did Harry have to bring him here?

"Hey Andrew." Harry said softly, and Andrew whipped around and drew his wand before he relaxed. Harry's eyebrow rose.

"Well aren't we getting paranoid."

Andrew stuck out his tongue, and yelped when something seemed to yank on it slightly before letting go. He glared at Harry even as he returned it inside his mouth. Harry was only amused.

"It isn't paranoia if they're really out to get you." He muttered, and Harry's smile slipped a bit.

"I guess thats true." He admitted softly.

Andrew shrugged, uncomfortable; and Harry decided it was time to change the subject.

"So you wanted me to find you self defense classes huh?" Harry asked.

Andrew nodded. "Like yours, what you were doing was bloody awesome!"

Harry grimaced a bit. Merlin was the only one that could teach that particular style.

"My guardian was the one who taught me Andrew." He said, and Andrew seemed to pout for a moment before he asked. "Then why don't you ask him if he can teach me?"

Harry sighed softly, and held his head in his hands. "I told you he is very seclusive Andrew, I'm the only one he really interacts with."

"Is he even real?" Andrew asked, and Harry barely controlled his reaction.

"Of course he's real, do you think I managed to get this-" here Harry gestured at the hidden pendant around his neck "by myself?"

Andrew looked away slightly at Harry's angry tone.

Harry took a deep breath and calmed himself. That comment had touched a deep nerve. Merlin had been the only one he had for so long, and to have him dismissed as something fake was more than enough to make him near furious.

"Why can't you learn another style?" Harry asked. "I'm sure that there are plenty of different ways for you to fight that you could learn."

"But I wanted to learn this way." Andrew nearly whined.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "This way was meant for people like me Andrew, when there were more people that had my same ability."

Andrew didn't answer, sulking a bit.

Harry sighed. Why was it that he always felt like the older brother?

"Let me try something, alright." He said.

* * *

A day later, Harry, with Merlin's help, put an advertisement in several Japanese magical papers for a self defense tutor for the sole heir of a family. He knew that Andrew's parents would not be so willing to let him have an outside tutor, so he was just going to have to bring him there every day.

Unfortunately, after nearly a week he had no bites at the advertisement. He was tempted to try again, but Merlin told him that he was fine with teaching Andrew, it didn't really bother him.

Harry wasn't too happy about it. He felt silly about it, but he still felt Merlin was _his._ _His_ guardian, _his _friend. He didn't want to have to share him with his brother.

Still after two weeks with no one even bothering to answer the advertisement, he finally agreed to Merlin's proposal, and told Andrew about it. Andrew was happy, and that just made Harry even more irritable, because he was pretty sure he was only happy to meet a 'descendant' of Merlin, not a new teacher.

"You better not go easy on him." Harry warned.

Merlin's eyebrow rose. "Did I ever go that easy on you?"

Harry didn't answer, but he understood. He almost smirked. If his brother wanted to be trained by his guardian, then he was going to have to put up with all the things that entailed. He almost felt sorry for his twin. Then he paused and thought for a moment.

No, not really.

* * *

August 17

This time, when Harry beamed him away, Andrew found himself in a cave.

"Hello?" He asked. He jumped when the cave was suddenly illuminated, from what, he couldn't tell.

"Andrew Potter." A voice boomed around him. Even with all of Moody's training, Andrew jumped about a foot in the air. This place was creepy enough to make him jumpy. That voice just set him off.

He whipped around, and saw an old looking man with a smooth staff in his hands. He looked somewhat like Dumbledore, but his face was different, more cold and rather haughty as well.

"Are you Harry's guardian?" He asked almost anxiously.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Merlin retorted loftily.

Andrew didn't dare mention the thought that this man looked to old to fight him.

"Harry told me that you have had very little physical training before now, so that is what we are going to start with." Merlin instructed.

"Um...but what do I call you?" Andrew asked a bit timidly.

Merlin's eyes had a near disturbing glint in them. "You may call me master."

Andrew gulped slightly. Leave it to Harry to give him another Mad Eye for a teacher.

* * *

Andrew collapsed to the ground, panting. That man was insane! He had never run this much in his life, how could he expect him to run so far when he was just getting started.

"Oh, is the poor little boy tired already?" his 'Master's' voice taunted, and he lifted his head off of the ground and glared at him.

"Well that's too bad." Merlin said. "We're just getting started."

At that declaration Andrew paled drastically.

* * *

Harry was getting close to feeling real pity for his brother. When training, Merlin was a very hard taskmaster. He liked to push Harry's body to the limit and then some, until Harry couldn't pick himself up if he tried.

He gave a whole new meaning to the saying slave driver, when he was training you.

Still, Andrew had wanted him as a teacher, so he couldn't complain that it was Harry's fault for not warning him just how awful Merlin could be.

Well, he _could, _but it wasn't Harry's fault that Andrew wanted to be taught by his guardian.

* * *

Later that day:

"Still sure that you want him as a teacher?" Andrew heard Harry ask.

His body ached, especially his legs. He doubted that he would be able to get up for another ten minutes at the least.

Still, he had not expected this teacher of Harry's to be that bad. It had looked so easy when Harry was dodging Quirrells attacks, but now, he realized that the only reason he was so bloody fast was because of all the running. Even when Harry had been stuck in their manor, he had spent at least an hour a day running on one of the lower floors, out of the way of everyone else.

He moaned lightly, and Harry's eyebrow rose. "Does that mean you want me to find you another teacher?"

Andrew shook his head slowly, and Harry felt a bit impressed at his reluctance to give up. He would have thought that his brother wasn't the type for hard work.

"Alright, but I'm warning you, it won't get any easier." He said.

Andrew groaned softly and forced himself up onto wobbly legs. "I'll manage."

* * *

August 25

Paradise

Even with Andrew's lessons every other day, Merlin was still finding plenty of time to work on Harry's so called 'insane' idea.

Though he had worried at first about how he was going to explain his exhaustion every other day, Andrew managed to convince Moody to cover for him, saying it was his doing all along. Moody was the one person that his parents trusted unconditionally, because he was so paranoid that it would be near-impossible for someone to get the drop on him.

While Andrew was training though, Harry and Merlin were busy coming up with new ideas for how to make Harry's 'solar shell' become real.

For starters, they had to choose a star.

Harry had been leaning towards some of the most powerful stars, the O class(according to Earth classifications), but Merlin had shot him down almost immediately. The reasons were that one, they were going to have enough trouble using all the power from a sun in the first place, unless they dialed down the amount of energy absorbed, and two, those suns were on average near ten times the size of earth's sun.

Harry didn't want to have just a sun like earth's though, so they eventually haggled to searching for an A class star, which was plenty powerful enough, and was only around two to three times the radius of earth's sun.

They still hadn't chosen one yet, but Harry was more interested in figuring out just how they would be able to cover the sun in the solar panels. The panels could not be too close to the sun, needing several hundred thousand kilometers of distance in order to compensate for the danger of solar flares. Even with all of their power, Harry didn't want to test Ancient shields against those.

The problem with this was that it made the 'solar shell' so much larger. An A class star had an average of around 2.5 times the diameter of Earth's sun, around 3.5 million kilometers. Adding another two million or so would just make the amount of material needed much more, around 95 trillion square kilometers in total. Just thinking about it made Harry's head hurt. The surface area of the earth was only 510 million square kilometers in comparison.

Merlin was thinking that the best way to build this shell was to have some kind of self replicating piece of material, using the constructor technology. It would be better if the shape was something simple, something that could be replicated easily, and for a moment, they thought up of different shapes that they could use. They eventually decided on using a hexagon as the base shape.

Also important was the fact that making this sphere would likely take hundreds of thousands to millions of years, so there had to be some kind of time dilation used to make it in a reasonable amount of time. That was more complicated, because it would also involve aging the star, and Harry didn't want to build something like this only for the star to go supernova from age.

That was until Merlin said that there was a method of keeping the sun at the same 'age'. With beaming technology, it was likely possible to constantly remove the heavy bonded elements in a sun's core and replace them with the same fuel it needed to keep on running. Essentially, if it was done correctly, the sun would never die, and never grow larger, but still provide the same power for eternity.

With that known, Harry immediately started looking at the constructor banks to start designing the first piece.

* * *

August 30

Though he hated to admit it, Andrew was glad that his 'Master' was such a hard teacher.

He had cursed the man so many times in the beginning, but now he could see why that was. He was already running faster than he was used to, and his teacher had been starting to make him learn how to fight. It was hard, and the man had no sympathy for him, saying that his enemies would not be nice to him, so why should he?

It made a twisted kind of sense to Andrew. After all, the only reason that Voldemort hadn't tried to kill him at first was his own arrogance and belief that Andrew was no threat to him. He didn't complain about his teacher's methods again.

Now though, he was happy that Harry had asked his guardian to help him. He was far from Harry's level of skill, but he knew enough now to at least help him get away faster, and maybe fight someone a bit older than him on even terms.

He was going back to Hogwarts in two days, and even with learning that he had the blond nancy Lockhart as a teacher a few weeks ago, he hoped that this year would be the one that convinced the headmaster to finally let him go. If nothing else, it should prove amusing to annoy him again.

* * *

September 3

Hogwarts

Andrew was more than a little annoyed that he was being forced to come back to the school again. After failing every bloody course in his first year, he would have thought that the school governors would have expelled him. But no...somehow Dumbledore had managed to convince them to give him a second chance. Even with all of Andrews protests at the hearing, they had agreed that Andrew should get another chance. It annoyed him to an extreme. They were only doing this because of who he was; any other student would have been expelled without so much as a by your leave.

The only upside of him having to repeat his first year was the fact that he had to be resorted. It had been one of the few concessions that Dumbledore had to make to have him repeat the year, by Lucius Malfoy of all people. Maybe the man knew something, because Dumbledore had been vehemently opposed to letting him be sorted anywhere but Gryffindor; why he didn't know.

Still, the board (several of which were likely in Malfoy's pockets) overruled Dumbledore, and so Andrew was resorted after the first years, a somewhat petty move from Dumbledore to try and embarrass him.

Despite the embarrassment, it was nice being with the Badgers. Even with their house mascot, they didn't really bother him that much, most of them too awe-struck at having the famous boy-who-lived be sorted into their house to do anything other than stare.

The staring bothered him, but it was nothing compared to the attitudes of his former house.

"Hey Andrew, wait up!" Andrew scowled to himself as he heard the red-head chasing after him. For some reason the youngest Weasley boy thought that they were destined to be great friends, despite the number of times that Andrew had brushed him off in the previous year.

With a quick movement, he ducked into one of the abandoned classrooms along the hall and covered himself with the invisibility cloak. When Weasley opened the door and came in, he dashed out again while the door was still open. Hopefully it would take the oblivious git a few minutes to figure out he wasn't hiding in the room somewhere.

He took the cloak off in a hidden alcove, then resumed walking towards his next class. That was another thing that he was doing differently this year, he was making sure that it looked like it had been the house of the lions making him not want to go to class. He still wasn't planning on turning in his assignments, but he just wanted to rub the fact that it was Dumbledore's preferred house that made him want to leave in the twinkly git's face.

He had just come from breakfast and now it was time for his first class with the Blond Idiot, unfortunately it was with the Gryffindors.

He seriously wondered if Lockhart knew anything about his subject, there were some rumors among those that didn't have a crush on the man that the only reason he was accepted as a professor was because he was the only applicant. For once, he hoped that the rumors about a curse on the position were true.

He walked into the classroom and grimaced at the garish decorations the man put up. The Gryffindors were settling into the back of the room, except for a chosen few (namely the harpy that had been on his case all of last year) and so he was forced to sit closer to the foppish man's desk.

Lockhart entered the room with a near strut in his step, and Andrew barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The man was so bloody full of himself. Unfortunately, it seemed that the majority of the girls in his class, Harpy included, were completely infatuated with him.

Andrew noticed a few of the Gryffindor boys make rude gestures and gagging motions, and silently agreed with them.

Lockhart stood up to the podium and began to speak.

(1) "Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most- Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books -well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in -"

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes - start - now!"

Andrew looked down at his paper and read:

1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?

2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

4. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?

Andrew was staring at the 'quiz' in disbelief. Sure, he wasn't really trying to do well in this school, but the lack of anything to do with the subject they were supposed to be learning made him wonder about Albus Dumbledore's hiring policies.

As with his other classes, he did not answer a single one of the questions, though he was very tempted to answer some of them in the most unflattering ways he could think of.

About half an hour later, the man collected the papers by hand, making Andrew wonder why he hadn't just used a spell to gather them all. Surely it was a lot faster?

The man frowned slightly as he looked at the results of the quiz.

"Tut, tut - hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully - I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples - though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogdeds Old Firewhisky!"

Andrew was giving the man an incredulous look, and he wasn't the only one. He noticed several of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff boys doing the same. How was this supposed to help them with defending themselves?

Lockhart seemed to deflate a bit at the answers to his quiz, before the cheerful smile came back and he said.

"Oh well; on to business I say."

He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.

"Now - be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

Again, Andrew was having trouble keeping his amusement in. This man was more dramatic than his uncle Sirius.

"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."

As the classroom grew silent, Lockhart whipped off the cover.

"Yes," he said dramatically. "Freshly caught Cornish pixies. "

One of the Gryffindor boys giggled loudly, and the so called professor turned to the boy with a wide smile.

"Yes?" He smiled at him.

"Are they really that dangerous?" The boy, he now remembered was called Colin, choked on a laugh.

"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger at the Gryffindor. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"

Andrew stared at the shrill voiced beings, wondering just where Lockhart was going with this. He saw the man's hand inching towards the cage door and thought. _He wouldn't._

"Lets see what you make of them!" Lockhart called, and he opened the door. _Of course he did._(/1)

Almost immediately the pixies swarmed out of the cage like a hive of bees, but causing much more pandemonium in the process. Andrew's eyes widened before he made a sharp gesture with his wand and incanted _protego orbis. _A shimmering blue shield surrounded him and kept the pixies from bothering him, though not for lack of trying.

He quickly packed up his bag and brought it within the shield, and ran out of the classroom, much to the frustrated cries of his classmates.

* * *

October 17

Harry watched as the constructors swarmed around the first cell of the solar shell. They were in orbit of their selected star, only a little over twice the radius of Earth's sun. It was also the closest star from Earth of its type that they could find, and Harry had put a halt on most of his plans for the moon at the moment.

Right now, every constructor working there was now moving to creating large empty spaces just under the moon's surface. Harry was thinking it would be better to use the moon as a storage depot or hidden ship bay instead of a production facility. He was a little leery of the muggle governments spotting something, even with all the advanced cloaking technologies he was using. It would be a little hard for them to investigate, but they had landed on the moon before.

The constructors working on the solar piece were from Paradise, not Luna, and had been brought here by the cargo ships that were still supplying them with materials to change. This was taking up most of the resources they had been harvesting from the surrounding areas, as the first hexagonal cell was near ten kilometers from point to point and nearly a quarter of a kilometer thick. It was also curved very slightly, to account for the spherical shape the shell would eventually take, around 5 million kilometers from the surface of the sun. This was nearly a twelfth the distance from Sol to Mercury, and this increase in distance made it so that there was less chance of solar activity damaging the sphere.

Inside of the cell there were power buffers, electronics, shield generators, and of course the beaming technology. There was also a larger version of the inertial engine installed in the very center of the cell, which would be used to move a finished piece into its proper place when finished.

When the constructors finished building it, the cell would move on its own towards the sun and position itself in its programmed location. Once the cell had stored enough energy from the sun in its buffers, it would activate the time dilation device and quickly build another cell, before releasing the field to regain more energy. This was done so that they would not need to worry about aging the sun during the process, and so they wouldn't need to spend the energy to keep it healthy.

Each cell would connect to the others once completed, and would share energy, so the more cells there were, the faster the construction rate of more cells. Merlin had calculated that it would take a little over twelve years to finish the shell, something that had Harry more than a little amazed and excited. To think that he was creating something so massive, in such a short period of time...it was mind boggling.

Before, he had thought that it would be nearly impossible to match the numerical superiority of the Goa'uld, to be able to fight them on his own terms, but once this shell was built, he would be able to constrain them and hopefully not have to kill them to keep them under control.

It was a long time to wait, his entire life so far in fact. Harry knew that it would be worth it though, once it was built...he shuddered at the possibilities.

Merlin was a bit put out that his race had never even tried to create something like this, something that would have not let the Wraith beat them back, there would have been no way to destroy something with that much power. But without the time manipulation, he doubted that they would have even thought of the idea. It was just so time and resource intensive.

He sighed to himself and shook his head at Harry's seemingly ludicrous idea. The things that they could do once it was done...

* * *

October 31

Hogwarts

It was official, Andrew hated Halloween.

After that first DADA lesson with Lockhart, many of his housemates were upset with him for leaving them to the pixies. It wasn't in the spirit of Hufflepuff to abandon your mates, according to them, so of course, there were several of them that didn't want to speak with him any more. It was actually more of a relief for him, because that meant less people staring at his forehead instead of his eyes when they tried to talk to him.

Dumbledore had called him to his office, this time using his head of house as an escort, so he had no option but to go. He didn't want to be anywhere near that man.

"Can you please stay?" He asked Professor Sprout. He wanted to be as safe as possible, and unconsciously he was gripping the pendant around his neck. She looked at him sharply and he quickly realized his mistake. He stopped and looked furtively around. "Please don't tell anyone, its something to keep me safe." He begged.

"How do I know that Mr. Potter?" She asked somewhat disapprovingly.

"It was given to me by someone I love and trust." Andrew said softly. "Its the only way I feel somewhat safe here."

Though she was not happy with the insinuation that Hogwarts was not safe, Pomona understood, and her expression softened. The poor boy must still be scarred by his experience last year, not that she blamed him. For one of their own to attack the boy...

"Very well Mr. Potter." She sighed. "I don't understand why you are afraid someone will take it, but I will not mention it."

"Thank you." He said gratefully, and she nodded slowly before they continued on their way to the headmaster's office.

"Blood Pops" She said, and the gargoyle quickly moved aside and let them go up.

Andrew took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and followed behind the professor as she knocked on the door.

"Come in Mr. Potter." He heard Dumbledore's voice, and walked in, Sprout close behind him.

"Thank you for escorting him Professor Sprout." Dumbledore stated, in a tone that suggested she leave.

"Mr. Potter asked me to stay Headmaster." She said softly, and for a moment Andrew was sure he saw a twinge in the man's smile before he nodded graciously and gestured towards one of the chairs.

"Now Mr. Potter, I've been meaning to ask you about your academic performance this year."

Well that was direct.

"What about it?" Andrew offered carelessly as he looked around the room.

"The fact that you have not turned in any assignments nor worked on any of the tests?" Dumbledore answered in that same calm tone.

"Oh." Andrew said, and shrugged.

"Do you have any explanation for not doing your studies?" Dumbledore asked him.

"Other than the fact you forced me to come back to this bloody school?" Andrew asked.

Dumbledore's eyes positively twinkled. "I do not know what you mean Mr. Potter."

Andrew's eyes hardened at the blatant lie. "Then I have nothing to say to you." With that, he strode towards the door.

The door slammed shut and locked. "I am not finished speaking with you Mr. Potter." Dumbledore's voice was still pleasant, but there was an undertone of steel.

"Well if you're going to lie to my face then I don't see any point in talking to you." Andrew retorted loudly. Dumbledore's eyes narrowed and for a moment Andrew felt the oppressive force of the elder man's magic against his body.

Then he paused, as if seeing something far away, and said. "Very well Mr. Potter, you may go."

Andrew rolled his eyes and waited for the door to open. It did a moment later, and Dumbledore asked Professor Sprout to stay behind for a moment. Likely for her to give him some kind of punishment for his behavior.

He quickly walked towards the Hufflepuff dorms, they were located in the basement, near the kitchens. He had to go through the second floor corridor to get there, but that wasn't that big a deal.

That was until he saw the red _blood_ shining on the wall, formed into words.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE

And right below the sign, there was Filch's cat hanging completely stiff, as if it was a living statue.

Andrew had no idea what this Chamber of Secrets was, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. His blood ran cold when he heard the stomping of dozens of feet, most likely the students coming from the Halloween feast, and he reached into his pocket only to remember than he left his invisibility cloak in his trunk. Bloody Hell.

He quickly started to walk away, but he was too late. Students piled into the corridor, most of them talking and laughing loudly. But as they came into the Hallway, their voices quickly became silent, and soft gasps and accusing glares were leveled at him.

Andrew felt like banging his head until he was comatose. His hatred of Halloween had just kicked up another notch.

* * *

Authors note:

(1) taken almost directly from the book, not mine. And yes, Protego orbis is the same spell Harry uses in Heir of Atlantis

Ok, it is going to be more difficult for me to update from now on, I've run out of 'buffer' chapters to keep myself on the same schedule, so the new update schedule will likely be every week to two weeks, depending on how much work I have to do outside of writing.

Posted: 6/9/13

Edit: 6/10/13: it was pointed out to me that as a first year, Andrew shouldn't be with the second year class, so I fixed that.

Edit 6/25/13: Changed the distance of the dyson sphere to 5 million kilometers from the sun, the other parts of the story will remain the same.


	10. Chapter 9

Review answers:

Ok first off, one of my reviewers mentioned that Harry should not make anything but the dyson spheres. It would be awesome to have hundreds of them, but what would he really need that many of them for? One dyson sphere would be enough to create thousands of ships at once, if not tens of thousands.

Not to mention the fact that a single cell of the Dyson sphere is about 10,000 meters from point to point, and took a large chunk of Paradise's moon.

Another reviewer was confused about Harry's age, so as of right now in the story, he is 12, not 13 as he made the teller in Disney believe.

Finally, there will be characters from the SGC, but not for a while. This story follows the same timeline as the series, and the Movie didn't take place until fall 1995. Sg1 didn't start until 1997, so Harry probably won't meet the team until mid 1997 to 1998.

Harry:

_Before, he had thought that it would be nearly impossible to match the numerical superiority of the Goa'uld, to be able to fight them on his own terms, but once this shell was built, he would be able to constrain them and hopefully not have to kill them to keep them under control._

_It was a long time to wait, his entire life so far in fact. Harry knew that it would be worth it though, once it was built...he shuddered at the possibilities._

_Merlin was a bit put out that his race had never even tried to create something like this, something that would have not let the Wraith beat them back, there would have been no way to destroy something with that much power. But without the time manipulation, he doubted that they would have even thought of the idea. It was just so time and resource intensive._

_He sighed to himself and shook his head at Harry's seemingly ludicrous idea. The things that they could do once it was done..._

Andrew:

_Andrew had no idea what this Chamber of Secrets was, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. His blood ran cold when he heard the stomping of dozens of feet, most likely the students coming from the Halloween feast, and he reached into his pocket only to remember than he left his invisibility cloak in his trunk. Bloody Hell._

_He quickly started to walk away, but he was too late. Students piled into the corridor, most of them talking and laughing loudly. But as they came into the Hallway, their voices quickly became silent, and soft gasps and accusing glares were leveled at him._

_Andrew felt like banging his head until he was comatose. His hatred of Halloween had just kicked up another notch._

Ch9:

November 3, 1992

Andrew looked at his new accommodations wistfully with his trunk laying on the ground behind him.

After the incident with the second floor, his roommates were completely terrified of him, no matter how many times he tried to say he had nothing to do with the writing on the wall. He had been able to put up with it for all of two days before he asked his head of house for other accommodations. Of course, as soon as he did that, rumors abounded about his hatred for rooming with Hufflepuffs and he was ostracized even more.

No one said it, but most of the school seemed to think him a dark wizard. The Lions openly sneered at him, and Andrew did his best to hide the hurt. Even if he wanted to be left alone, he didn't want it to be because his peers feared him. And sadly, the attitude he had built up in his last year made it easy for the gossip mill to paint him blacker than black.

The new room wasn't too bad. It was a bit smaller than the same room he had been sharing with his dorm mates, so he had more than enough room for himself. There was a dresser and a small bathroom, and the bed wasn't much larger than a cot, a far cry from the normal dorm beds.

He sighed softly, and decided he could not wait until the winter break, maybe then he would have some peace from this madhouse.

* * *

November 6

Unknown planet

Territory of Apophis

Harry was quietly beamed down into an empty storeroom.

About a week after they had launched the first solar cell, Harry admitted to himself that he was stuck on his hardsuit project. He had managed to design the shell, and incorporated several of the emitters used in the personal shield device, but he had some trouble designing the projector aspect of the suit, as well as the cloaking device, because the two systems interfered with each other.

Eventually Merlin had been able to tie in the cloak to the projector, and Harry had a lot of fun disappearing and reappearing until Merlin got annoyed enough to beam him out of the suit and hide it. Harry had been begging him to try and use it since, and Merlin had finally snapped and allowed him, though only if he had a transporter lock on his person the entire time.

Harry decided that the best way to test it was to go do something that had been bothering him for a while: Finding more information on the relationships and interactions between the various Goa'uld. If he was lucky, he would also be able to get a bit of history from whatever files the goa'uld had.

So that was why he was now infiltrating one of Apophis' bases, well, that and the fact he was getting bored of going back and forth between Earth and Paradise.

With a quick look at the lifesign detector, he figured that there was only a small patrol of two Jaffa about 100 meters away from him.

Still, just to be safe, he concentrated for a moment and the suit projected an image of a man nearly twice his height with the same armor and the symbol of Apophis on his forehead. His staff, recently upgraded with the same ability, formed itself into an image of the staff weapons that the Jaffa were known to use.

Harry quickly made his way towards the records room, keeping his impassive facial expression and the "I'm meant to be here' aura Merlin said was essential to remain undetected. After all, if he was to act afraid or paranoid of his surroundings, then the other Jaffa and servants were more likely to think him suspicious.

He was not stopped once, and he quickly moved to open the door indicated by the sensor scans, only to be surprised by a forcefield blocking his way.

With a frown, he realized that the small panel on the wall was some kind of access device. He checked the lifesign detector again, then placed his hand on the doorway and channeled a surge of telekinetic energy into it, hoping that this wouldn't set off any alarms.

With a whining sound, the forcefield deactivated, and Harry quickly moved inside the room, checking the lifesigns detector to see if there was any movement of Jaffa in his direction from his breaking down the door. He didn't see any activity, so he let out a slow breath and walked into the room before he was nearly blinded by the light reflecting off of the gold surfaces.

He squinted slightly as his eyes adjusted to the glare, annoyed and certain that the Goa'uld had a chronic need to overcompensate for their egos. No matter what room he was in, there was gold in at least one decoration.

Harry was willing to bet that the Goa'uld even used gold on the inside of their capital ships, it was so common in their architecture.

With a small gesture, he touched the access panel, watching as it slowly opened and revealed the rather blunt looking crystals used by the goa'uld. They looked like a more primitive version of the Ancient crystals used in the Milky Way. With a quick look to the lifesign detector, he made sure there were no guards coming in his direction before he started pulling them out from their terminal.

Harry took another look around with the lifesign detector and saw there were still no guards. This was absolutely ridiculous. For such a paranoid bastard, Apophis didn't really watch over his data cores enough. Shouldn't there have been some kind of silent alarm if Apophis himself didn't come to look at them? Surely it wasn't that hard to do?

Shaking his head, he took his staff and activated the planned alterations to its emitter. Instead of the normal blue glow that his staff usually fired, an series of orange blasts nearly identical to those of a Jaffa staff weapon struck the terminal cells, melting them and destroying any evidence of the crystals being taken.

A harsh ringing that could only be an alarm sounded, and Harry sent a signal to the ship before he was beamed away.

* * *

November 8

Hogwarts Library, late afternoon

"Hey Andrew! I've been looking all over for you!"

Andrew resisted the urge to sigh as the pain in the arse known as Colin decided to show himself.

"Colin, I don't want to have any pictures taken." He said bluntly, and the kid looked unhappy for a moment before he bounced back. "That's ok Andrew! I just wanted to show you some pictures of the Slytherin-Gryffindor match!"

Andrew gave a strained smile and allowed Colin to show him the pictures. The boy was rather excitible and annoying, but he was also harmless, unlike some of the older students from his house that had taken to sending jinxes at him in the hallways.

After Colin showed him the pictures, the Gryffindor asked him if he knew where to find the books for their assignments. Given the amount of time that he spent in the Library, it was easy for Andrew to point him toward the right shelves. As soon as Colin left, he covered himself with the invisibility cloak and headed toward the Hufflepuff dorms.

* * *

Paradise

Harry was in the workshop, reading the information on the Goa'uld crystal through an improvised translating device.

After seeing the wasteful battles of the Goa'uld, Harry wasn't that surprised to find out that the System Lords did not have as many ships as he had thought they would. Constant feuds and wars between different Goa'uld meant that there was no more than about 100,000 Ha'tak class vessels in the galaxy at one time, a great percentage of them being under the control of the Supreme System Lord Ra, who largely abstained from the conflicts. In fact, it seemed that he was the reason there weren't _more_ conflicts between different Goa'uld.

Harry shook his head. It seemed the arrogance and lust for power that was so common among the Goa'uld had led them to fight each other for dominance rather than get along. He wasn't going to cry for their stupidity though. As Merlin said, it is better to attack a distracted enemy than one focused solely on you. Not that he was anywhere near ready to start attacking them with the few fight capable ships he had.

Other than the Hermes and the Mercury, the only other ships that he and Merlin had built were the constructors and the cargo ships. They were also working on a defense satellite that Harry hoped would be less wasteful of resources than the ones in Pegasus. There were a few ideas for the Ares, but they had been spending most of their time on other projects, such as his suit.

With a small sigh, Harry stepped away from the translator and rubbed his eyes, wondering just how useful the societal information could be. Merlin didn't have much information about the Goa'uld from before his real self disappeared, so he had nothing to compare the modern standards to.

He had found something interesting though: several Goa'uld killed in the past had their territories declared off limits by Ra thousands of years ago. It made him wonder just what kinds of civilizations could have sprung up in the meantime.

* * *

November 9

After Pipsey gave him his breakfast in his dorm, Andrew made his way to his first class, transfiguration.

He was expecting the somewhat hostile looks, but what he wasn't expecting was the looks of _fear _on the other first years. He looked around in confusion and resignation. Just what did they think he had done now?

"Mr. Potter." He heard McGonagall say stiffly, and he turned around. She looked very _severe_, and again he wondered just what he had done.

"After last night's events, the Headmaster would like to speak with you." She said, before she started to move to her desk.

"Ok, I don't know what you think I did, but I went straight to my dorm right before dinner." Andrew said confidently.

Her nostrils seemed to flare. "Interesting that you say that, when witnesses say you were the last person near Mr. Creevy before he was found at the entrance of the Library this morning."

Andrew felt his blood run cold at her wording. Colin had been _found_ this morning?

"What happened?" He asked as calmly as he could, and her face seemed to darken before she said. "He was found petrified Mr. Potter, and won't wake."

Andrew could almost hear the accusation in her tone, and he clenched his fists to keep himself from getting angry. "I didn't do anything to him! He asked me for help looking for a book. I told him where to find it. I left. Thats it!"

But McGonagall didn't even listen. "Speak to the headmaster after my class Mr. Potter, though why you even bother to attend boggles the mind." Andrew felt his face flush at the slight sniggers of his classmates and mentally counted to ten before he straightened his face and sat at his desk. Like hell he would go talk to Dumbledore. He was the last person he wanted to talk to.

Andrew didn't pay attention at all during her class, mostly out of spite, but also because he was so worried about what was going on. He had studied a lot with Moody over the summer, and he had mentioned a lot of spells, but none of them had been about petrification. It sounded like a very powerful dark spell.

He would have to ask his parents to forward Moody a letter.

Of course, after his first class, his day only started to get worse. The glares in the hallways were more numerous than before, along with the attempted hexes.

Andrew felt like banging his head against the stone walls to spare him from their stupidity. So what if he was bloody anti-social? That didn't mean that he was going around petrifying people that annoyed him. The funny thing was, these people _were_ bloody annoying him!

When he entered the Hufflepuff common room there was a small group of upper years that glared at him with near hatred. Many of the other students just ignored him or looked away in fear. Andrew ignored them all as best he could, heading toward his private dorm with his head held tall.

It was with a relieved expression that he closed the door to his room and sank against it tiredly. It had been such an emotionally exhausting day.

A few minutes later, he got up and put up a few basic wards that Moody taught him. They weren't enough to keep out an adult, but for most of his classmates, it would at least keep them from opening his door.

He changed into his bedclothes and got ready for bed, frowning at the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror before he cast a spell to clean his teeth.

Andrew slowly crawled into bed, wondering what was going to happen to him now that Colin had been petrified.

He sighed softly as he touched the pendant around his neck for reassurance, then slowly settled down into sleep.

* * *

Andrew jolted awake to the feeling of wrongness. There was a sense of fresh air all around him, something that he had never felt in his dorm room, and a soft clicking sound that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, and they widened in shock as he realized he wasn't even in his dorm room.

He was in a forest. Someone had bloody moved him and his bed into the forbidden forest in the middle of the bloody night! He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart as he looked around for some sense of just how far he was from the castle.

A low howl sounded in the distance, and he felt a chill run down his spine. A moment later there was a soft clicking sound, but as he whirled around in his bed, there was nothing there to make the sound.

It was then that he realized he didn't have his wand. He had left it on his nightstand as he always did, despite Moody's urging that he keep it in a holster around his arm at all times. He had thought the retired Auror to be ridiculously paranoid, but now he felt like an idiot for not listening to his advice. He was in the Forbidden forest without his wand.

He heard a rustling sound and whirled around, but once again, there was nothing there. Despite his efforts, he could feel his heart beating harder and faster. There was something else out there. Something that wanted to eat him.

Slowly, cautiously, he stepped out of the bed, wincing as his feet left the protective warmth of the warming charms. Why did this have to happen to him this late in the year? Couldn't whoever did this have waited until spring or something?

Or better yet, just have left him alone?

He took a few steps with his rapidly numbing feet, and looked around furtively as he heard yet another clicking sound. There was nothing there, and he exhaled nervously before he looked around for the sun.

A rustling sound came from above him, and before he could look up, he felt the shield flare around him and crumble before something stung him in the back and he collapsed.

The clicking sound grew stronger, but this time he was able to hear the heavy thumps of something moving across the forest floor. He struggled to get up, but his body didn't want to listen to him, feeling so tired and numb. He felt his heartbeat slowing despite his fear, and as his eyes started to close he saw a pair of sharp black mandibles above his head.

* * *

Paradise

Harry nearly groaned as his brother's alarm went off. Just when he was about to- Ugg! Why was it so hard for him to keep out of trouble?

With a grumpy look on his face, Harry consulted the information coming from his brother before he paled at the mention of a toxin slowing down his heartbeat. There was also mention of some kind of piercing wound.

He beamed himself up and headed for Earth at top speed, hoping that he wasn't too late.

And once this situation was dealt with, he didn't care what his brother thought, he was getting him out of there, hang the consequences. He was bloody tired of coming in to save his arse.

Harry locked onto his brother's signal as soon as he hit Earth orbit, and was relieved for once when the transporter worked without any interference, beaming Andrew to the medical area of the Hermes. It wasn't much, just a small room with some of the Lantean medical beds, but it would be able to heal most ailments.

His brother looked awfully pale though, and his body seemed to be minutes from shutting down from the poison. Harry watched as the bed lit up and started to emit a soothing amber light around his brother, and looked at the monitor. He felt the blood leaving his face when he realized the energy was doing nothing to help with the poison, if anything it seemed to accelerate its spread. With no other choice, he activated the stasis field around the bed, keeping his brother's condition from worsening while he tried to figure out what he could do (read, panicked).

A moment later, he realized that his only chance of healing his brother would come from a magical healer. He didn't want to take Andrew back to Britain, after all this had happened there, and he had no idea who had ordered it to happen. For all he knew, bringing his brother to a magical hospital there would get him killed.

He had to find another place to get him healed; but where could he go? Andrew had said that there was little love for British purebloods in America, and Harry didn't know about the healers in other magical countries.

It was then that he decided to take a risk, and beamed down to just outside of Gringotts. The stasis field would keep Andrew from getting worse, so he had all the time in the world to find him some help, no matter how much he wanted to find it right at this moment.

Harry nearly ran inside, asking for Sharptooth a bit more brusquely than he normally would, and the teller gave him a small frown before guiding him to the goblin's office.

"Mr..Potter? What gives me the honor of your presence?" Harry winced at the Goblin's tone, but didn't apologize, goblins didn't like insincere apologies.

"My brother was bitten by something poisonous, but I do not trust the wizards in Britain to treat him well." He said, and Sharptooth's face sharpened in interest before he got up from his desk. "And you are asking for what exactly?"

"Do the goblins have any healers that can treat wizards?" Harry asked softly.

Sharptooth gave him a shrewd glance. "We can, though very few of the Wizards trust our race enough for medical treatment."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Will I be allowed to bring my brother here?"

Sharptooth paused for a few seconds, then gave a small nod, and Harry gave him a quick bow before running from the room and beaming Andrew to the Alley to the side of the bank. He didn't care if it was somewhat suspicious, he needed to get his brother treated now!

Sharptooth watched him go before leaving his office to alert the healers. He hadn't mentioned it, but the respect that young Harry had for their race was one of the only reasons he had even thought of accepting this request.

Well that, and the treasures he had given them at such a low price.

* * *

Later that night

Harry watched as his brother slept peacefully, the potions that had been fed to him slowly returning the color in his skin. The goblin healers had been slightly worried about his chances, given that it had been acromantula venom that was running through his veins, but it seemed Harry had been just in time. _Again._

Almost as soon as his relief came though, it left. Harry was disturbed that the ancient technology couldn't heal his brother, the magic within the acromantula's venom had resisted all attempts of the technology to neutralize it, in fact using the energy to increase its strength. He was also worried, he had taken his brother from the grounds of Hogwarts without informing his parents. They would need to know what happened to him.

He stopped himself from chewing on a lip as he held his head in his hands, wondering what he should do. Andrew's parents had to know about this, since he doubted that the school even knew that Andrew was gone from his dorm, given how early it was.

Now that he thought about it, how had his brother even appeared in the forest? From their journal conversations, he knew that Andrew stayed in his dorm room whenever he didn't have class or was in the library. He frowned as he remembered something about his brother getting a room to himself because his roommates were afraid of him petrifying them. Had someone broken into his room and abducted him that easily?

He shook his head. That wasn't important right now. He had to let the Potters know about their son, but he didn't want to talk to them himself, afraid that he would give something away. With a small sigh, he called Merlin and asked him to come to Earth. He was likely going to catch hell from him later for this.

* * *

England

Early Morning

Potter Manor

Merlin solidified himself before he knocked at the door, glad for the shield surrounding him. He wasn't sure how much the 'magic' surrounding him would affect his projector, and he didn't want to know. He doubted that his program would be damaged, it was too well protected within the projector. But that didn't mean he wanted to be stuck either.

A small being, a _house elf_ he remembered, looked up at him suspiciously as it opened the door. "What is you being here for?"

"May I speak to the Lord and Lady Potter? It concerns their son."

The house-elfs eyes widened slightly before it closed the door in his face. Merlin felt a bit of annoyance at the blatant rudeness, but he kept his irritation down as the door opened again and a man slightly taller than his image opened the door, his eyes narrowed and his wand in hand.

It seemed that these people were more suspicious than Andrew's communication with Harry suggested.

"Dipsey said you had news about my son?" James asked and Merlin could hear the anger and doubt in his voice. He decided to keep his snarkiness, as Harry put it, to a minimum. It wouldn't help him with this conversation.

"First things first, you should know that your son approached me for training in self defense." Merlin said softly, and James' eyes narrowed as he said. "We already hired several tutors for him, why would he need another?"

"Andrew wanted to be trained in physical combat in case he lost his wand." Merlin said a bit more sternly, and James' body tensed even further. Andrew had told him about his father's dislike of muggle fighting, mostly due to his pureblood upbringing, and Merlin still thought it ridiculous. Fighting was fighting, no matter what form it took.

"Why are you here then?" James asked tersley.

"My...grandson and your son have become friends, and he gave Andrew a small pendant, something that would allow us to find him if he was ever in trouble." Merlin said.

James' fingers twitched as if he longed to curse him.

"You've been tracking my son?"

"Yes, for his own safety!" Merlin snapped, and took a deep breath before he said. "Its the only way we could have found him earlier tonight."

James' face paled drastically, and he asked "Found?" in a faint voice. Inside, Merlin was surprised that the man was actually believing him, given his paranoia, but maybe the events at the end of the last year made him more likely to think it could happen.

"Somehow your son was transported to the Forbidden Forest outside of his school, and was stung by an enormous spider...an acromantula."

James didn't bother listening to another word. He gestured toward the house with his wand and several pieces of clothing came flying toward him. It was then Merlin noticed that he was wearing only an evening gown.

"Where is he?" James asked in panic, his hostility mostly forgotten for now. He paused for a split second and called the same house-elf that answered the door and asked it to bring Lily Potter downstairs. In the meantime he quickly stepped out of sight and changed his clothes, looking up the stairs furtively.

Merlin opened his mouth to answer, then decided to wait until James' wife came down as well. He didn't want to repeat himself.

Lily appeared only minutes later, with her clothes already on and her wand also in hand. Her eyes were wide with worry, and she gave Merlin a searching glance. Without warning, she made a small gesture with her wand, then a colored mist came from the tip and flew towards Merlin. Merlin tensed as it brushed past his shield, but it did nothing to damage him.

"He doesn't have any portkeys or dark items James." She whispered at a volume she likely thought that he couldn't hear.

"We will not be using any of those 'portkeys' to get to New Orleans." Merlin said in semi-disgust, before he made a grandiose gesture and they disappeared from the front steps without a sound.

They reappeared in the Lobby of Gringotts New Orleans and Merlin immediately asked to be brought to Andrew Potter's recovery room. The two Potters trailed behind him in worry and confusion at how they had arrived, but were somewhat more relaxed now that they knew they were in a Gringotts Bank. Goblins were notorious for the neutrality, and would not care if the American Wizards didn't want British purebloods in their country.

Merlin sent Harry a quick message to tell him that they had arrived. A moment later, he received one that Harry was disguised as someone else. Though he didn't exactly approve of his son hiding from James and Lily, he decided to allow it in this case. The Potters would be stressed enough with the condition of their firstborn son without the revelation that Harry was alive.

Andrew was still asleep as they entered the clean white room, and Harry had changed his appearance to look like a younger version of Merlin with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. The two Potters rushed over to the bed and Harry quickly moved away, to Merlin's side.

"_What are we going to do now?_" He asked in Lantean. He didn't want to send Andrew back to that place if he was going to constantly be under attack. He doubted that the Potters wanted to do such a thing either, but he knew that they didn't have a choice if they wanted to keep Andrew safe from the clutches of the Ministry.

"_I know you are still unhappy with them Harry, but maybe we should bring them home with us." _

Harry reeled back, eyes turning hard and accusing, but Merlin held up his hand and said."_Think about it Harry, we are only two people, despite the amount of technology at our disposal. The wizards are our descendants as well, and though your parents made some horrible mistakes with you, you cannot seriously tell me that they did it out of malice can you?"_

Harry just glared at him and crossed his arms. He was nowhere near ready to forgive them for what they did.

Merlin sighed softly. "_Look at it this way Harry, if they come, we will have people that understand the usage of this 'magic', maybe even be able to replicate it with time."_

"_Somehow I doubt that they will want to come with us._" Harry replied stubbornly, and Merlin resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"_We will just have to ask them won't we?" _He answered in a huff, before he turned away from Harry and looked at the two adults kneeling on either side of their son's bed.

Harry clenched his fists for a moment before he growled. "_I'll be on the Hermes, have fun explaining it to them!" _

A few seconds later, he disappeared from the room, and Merlin wearily touched his face. He hoped that Harry wouldn't be mad at him for too long.

* * *

Andrew woke up slowly, feeling as if his head was wrapped up in cotton.

"Where..?" He rasped out, and he felt a small glass pressed to his mouth. He cautiously opened his mouth, and water trickled down his dry throat, making him sigh.

"You're safe." He heard his mother's voice, and he struggled to open his gummy eyes. "Where?"

"We're in a Gringotts in America, Andrew." He heard his father's voice, and he let a relieved sigh. They were both safe.

"What happened?" He asked, and finally managed to clear his eyes. His vision was a little blurry, but he could see his dad's darkening expression and his mother tightly clinging to him.

"According to your _physical dueling_ teacher, you were found by his son in the middle of the forbidden forest, using something he gave you to track you." Andrew winced slightly at James' tone. He had gone directly behind his back in getting the lessons, and one of the most repeated things that his parents had stressed to him was to be careful with who he trusted. Meaning: don't trust anyone that they don't.

He didn't say anything back though, and James seemed to only get angrier before his mother squeezed his arm.

"I am sorry to interrupt this family moment, but we need to talk." Andrew heard his mentor's voice, and his parents seemed to whirl around at him, their postures tense and angry.

"Why are you still here?" James hissed. "Andrew is safe, and I don't care if you want us to be in your debt, we will never acknowledge it!"

Merlin gave him a neutral look before he ignored James' question and said. "I think that we can all agree that this cannot go on. According to my grandson's correspondence, the situation at Andrew's school was rapidly growing worse before this incident."

At that James seemed to grow even angrier, before Andrew said. "It was." At that James seemed to deflate slightly, but he still kept a tense posture as he looked at Merlin.

"Why are you even bringing this up?" Lily asked softly. "If your son and ours have been communicating so much, you know we have no choice but to send him to Hogwarts. If we don't, then they will throw us in Azkaban and give him to someone horrible, like the _Malfoys,_ to raise." She shuddered at the thought of it, as did Andrew. Draco was a little bugger at the best of times, and his father was a Death Eater before he had been pardoned by the gold he gave to certain corrupt individuals in the ministry. He didn't want to be under their control.

"I am bringing it up because we have a way to keep you all safe, you and anyone you want to bring with you."

"How?" James asked suspiciously.

Merlin's face blanked. "I cannot tell you unless you give your oaths not to reveal what I say now...unless the people know of it already."

James' face darkened further, but Andrew had no such reservations. He trusted his mentor, even if he was overly strict and sadistic at the best of times.

"I swear on my magic not to speak of anything..." He trailed off, not sure of his mentor's name.

Merlin sighed. "Myrridin Emrys."

James and Lily gaped at him, but Andrew continued his oath, not knowing why they were so shocked. "-Myrridin Emrys reveals to me in this conversation unless those I speak to already know, so mote it be."

Merlin looked pointedly at James and Lily, who were completely frozen in disbelief. He felt a little amusement at the reaction, but they really needed to get going.

"Your oaths?" He asked, and Lily gave him a quick up and down look before she gave her oath. James followed a moment later, resigned by the rest of his family already doing so.

"Good." Merlin said cheerfully as he looked at the three of them. "Well, might as well get it out of the way...I'm not a Wizard."

James gaped stupidly at him before he cried. "But you said you were Merlin! How could you not be a wizard?"

Suddenly Andrew realized just why his parents had been so awestruck. Merlin was...well he was Merlin! And Harry had said his guardian was a _descendant_ of Merlin!

When he saw his brother again...

"Well first off, I'm a copy of Merlin's consciousness stuck in a false body." Merlin said, before he seemed to flicker and vanish into the depths of a dull gray sphere hovering right where he had been standing.

When he reappeared, he was slightly worried that he had broken them. Their faces were completely frozen.

"There are a great many things that I have to say that will seem ridiculous or even impossible, but if you want to be away from all of this, you will need to hear me out." He finally added.

James snapped out of it and looked at his wife, his pensive face mirrored on her own. "We've already given you our oaths...so we might as well hear what you have to say."

Andrew nodded his agreement with his father.

"Alright then, let me start with the story of a people who lived in a galaxy far far away..."

* * *

Authors Note:

I don't really have anything to add to this other than the story is probably going to be skipping a lot of time until the Goblet of fire, and as you can tell, Harry and Merlin are bringing people with them to Paradise, most likely more than just the Potter family.

Anyway, tell me what you think, I especially like it when someone finds a plot hole that I missed.

And yes, the far far away was a reference to Star Wars, even if Merlin doesn't seem to realize it.

Posted: 6/20/13

Edit: 6/25/13: Changed the oath Andrew gave slightly so it doesn't make him a squib when he talks about it with someone else who knows.


	11. Chapter 10

Ok: answers to questions;

There will be no connections to star wars in this story, this is solely a Harry Potter/stargate crossover

I also want to thank the reviewer who told me about the problems with Andrew's oath last chapter, so I went back to fix that.

And finally, with the issue of the dyson spheres, first of all, the dyson sphere is much closer to the sun than one astronomical unit. The earth is 149,669,180 km from the sun, while Harry decides to build the sphere 5,000,000 km or so away from the surface of the sun, trusting the shielding technology and solar collectors to protect themselves from the solar flares. Harry isn't thinking about redundancies at the moment, but the idea will likely be pointed out to him at some time, maybe by the asgard, who have much better time dilation tech, as shown by the sg1 episode Unnatural selection.

Last Time:

Harry:

Merlin sighed softly. "_Look at it this way Harry, if they come, we will have people that understand the usage of this 'magic', maybe even be able to replicate it with time."_

"_Somehow I doubt that they will want to come with us._" Harry replied stubbornly, and Merlin resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"_We will just have to ask them won't we?" _He answered in a huff, before he turned away from Harry and looked at the two adults kneeling on either side of their son's bed.

Harry clenched his fists for a moment before he growled. "_I'll be on the Hermes, have fun explaining it to them!"_

A few seconds later, he disappeared from the room, and Merlin wearily touched his face. He hoped that Harry wouldn't be mad at him for too long.

Matt:

"Well first off, I'm a copy of Merlin's consciousness stuck in a false body." Merlin said, before he seemed to flicker and vanish into the depths of a dull gray sphere hovering right where he had been standing.

When he reappeared, he was slightly worried that he had broken them. Their faces were completely frozen.

"There are a great many things that I have to say that will seem ridiculous or even impossible, but if you want to be away from all of this, you will need to hear me out." He finally added.

James snapped out of it and looked at his wife, his pensive face mirrored on her own. "We've already given you our oaths...so we might as well hear what you have to say."

Andrew nodded his agreement with his father.

"Alright then, let me start with the story of a people who lived in a galaxy far far away..."

November 11

Potter Manor

Sirius was honestly confused as to why James had wanted him to come so urgently, but he was here, along with his wife and child. All that James had said was that it was unbelievable, and that it affected all of them.

To be honest, he was actually a little worried. The years after Andrew was announced the Boy-who-lived had not been nice for James, prematurely aging him and making him snappish and suspicious to anyone he didn't know well. But with all the danger that Andrew had been in recently, Sirius was afraid that James was planning something completely reckless, and he had been known by that title when they were still in school!

Carolynn, his wife, was also a bit worried, but more for what this 'unbelievable news' could be. As far as she knew, nothing out of the ordinary had been happening in the wizarding world, other than Andrew's being forced back to Hogwarts, but then again, it wasn't that surprising that the Ministry would do something like that.

No, this news had to be something else. She patted baby Charles' back gently until he burped softly, all the while looking around the well decorated receiving room. It was easy to see that Lily had been the one to design the paints, knowing James Potter, the room would have likely been red and gold if he had his way.

The fireplace flared green as Andromeda Tonks and her husband, Ted, stepped out of the fireplace one after the other. Andromeda, even after being disowned by her family, still retained her regal appearance and posture. Her husband was more relaxed and happy, but his eyes were still somewhat cautious, due to the nature of this meeting

Their daughter, Nymphadora Tonks stumbled through the floo after them, tripping on the carpet before her father caught her. She flushed lightly in embarrassment before she thanked him and straightened her posture.

A few minutes later heralded the arrival of Remus Lupin, wearing shabby robes despite the numerous offers from Sirius to go shopping. His hair was slightly grayed, but his face still young and full of laugh lines. He had no one with him, a fact that irked Sirius to no end, but he had long given up on getting the old wolf to see sense on that topic.

Several minutes passed before James came back into the room and shut off the floo. He didn't want to take the chance of the ministry monitoring the conversation through the fire.

"I know that you're all probably cross with me for the cryptic message, but ever since we've been forced to bring Andrew back to Hogwarts, I didn't want to risk the message being intercepted."

He laughed nervously, not knowing how to go on, before Lily touched his arm softly. He straightened, giving her a thankful smile and thanking whatever gods let him capture Lily's heart. She was too good for him, despite her mistakes.

"As you all know, we had Andrew trained during the summer by a lot of different tutors, some of which we didn't know about." His voice darkened slightly at the end, and several of the people sitting could see Andrew wince from where he was sitting in his chair.

"Andrew decided that he needed an instructor in muggle combat, and managed to find one." James took a deep breath.

"The short version is that this man had a grandson, and he gave my son a pendant that allowed him to be tracked, for his own protection." James could see Sirius getting out of his seat, anger showing on his features, and held up a hand. "That pendant is why Andrew is still alive."

Andrew winced minutely. His father didn't even know how much it had helped him in his first year, but he couldn't mention Harry's involvement so he hadn't said anything about it.

"What do you mean it is the only reason he is still alive?" Remus growled out. Andrew was his godson after all, and even if he hadn't been he was still part of his family.

"Someone broke into my room and left me in the forbidden forest." Andrew said quietly, and he cringed back as Sirius nearly shrieked "What!"

At that, Charles started crying, and Carolynn gave her husband an annoyed look before she quickly left the room, soothing Charles.

Andrew found Remus in front of him, looking all over his body for injuries and sighed heavily. He did not need the overprotectiveness right now.

"What...happened." Sirius growled out.

"Acromantula stung me." Andrew said, his voice muffled by Remus suddenly squeezing him in worry.

Sirius clenched his fists tightly as he took a step forward, then held himself in place. All he wanted to do was go find the bastards that did this to Andrew and rip them apart.

"I trust this meeting is about getting Andrew away from that mockery of a school?" Andromeda asked. She meant it too. It seemed that the quality of education at her alma mater had fallen far below acceptable, especially if this kind of behavior went unchecked.

James nodded stiffly. "Andrew's tutor asked us to meet with you so he could explain some things. Then he shook his head wearily. "I still can't believe what he said."

"What did he say then?"

Lily spoke up. "He put us under oath to never speak of it unless those spoken to already knew."

Sirius gave them a suspicious look before he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Of course he did."

"You said that he asked you to call this meeting."

"Yes Andromeda, he did."

Andromeda looked around the room once more. "Then where is he?"

James opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Merlin appeared in the room without warning. "Here."

The majority of the room nearly leapt out of their seats while the more trained simultaneously leveled their wands. Once James and Lily realized who he was, they quickly relaxed and sat down.

"This is Andrew's tutor?" Sirius asked in surprise. The old man looked like a good puff of wind would knock him over.

"I am, but that is not the reason you are here." Merlin said, looking around the room.

He turned to James and Lily. "Is this everyone?"

James nodded solemnly, upset that so many of those that they trusted in the Order they couldn't trust anymore.

"Very well then, I guess I should explain why you are all here?" Merlin asked the room.

There were several nods. Carolynn came into the room just as he asked his question and jumped, staring at him.

Merlin gave a sideways glance to James and Lily. Hadn't they said they had everyone before?

"She was out of the room before you came." James admitted.

"Oh." Merlin said before he decided to move on. "I am going to tell you a story now, and I ask that you listen to me with an open mind, for what I am saying will seem fantastical, impossible." And wasn't that ironic, given who and what these people were.

He looked around the room again, meeting all of their eyes. "I will also require an oath that you will not divulge this information to those that do not know, the Potters have already done so."

Unhappily, the other occupants of the room looked at each other, before Remus stood up. "I'll take your oath.

And he did, quickly followed by Sirius, his wife, and then the Tonks family, Andromeda being the last.

"This is the same exact version I gave the Potters, so if they want to leave the room, I won't mind."

James shook his head. "Thats fine, maybe we'll learn something else." He still had his doubts that the story was even real anyway.

"Alright then, it all begins with a people that lived in a galaxy far away."

* * *

Inside of Gringotts New Orleans, a goblin was sitting pensively at his desk, staring at his paperwork but not even thinking about doing it.

Sharptooth was pondering what to do with the information he had overheard in the conference room. Unknown to all Gringotts clients, there were muggle recording devices placed in a magical neutral zone of the room, something that their spells would not be able to detect. It was a practice that kept the goblins well informed of all the plots and conspiracies that could affect their business. To Gringotts, business was everything, and they wanted nothing to surprise them.

But this information...If it hadn't been for the fact that the magical oaths took hold, then Sharptooth would have disregarded the conversation entirely. Magical oaths were tied to the name of those that they were invoked to, so the old man that was young Harry's guardian was almost certainly telling the truth, even if he had some kind of false body as he said.

But if it was true, if Harry Potter was able to venture to the stars, then the Goblin nation would need to broker a deal with him without revealing their methods of knowing. Unbound mithril ore(as naquada was known to the magical races) was so rare, there had been no known sources left on the earth before Harry had given them a sizable amount. The child truly had no idea just how much that metal was worth.

Or maybe he did, but did not care for the riches that it could bring him. Sharptooth wasn't sure. Still, if he could procure a deal with this boy, then he would quickly rise in the ranks of Gringotts as the one to bring back Mithril to Goblinkind.

He rose to pen a letter, then sat down as he remembered that there was no way to contact young Mr. Potter. Unhappily, he decided that he have to wait until young Harry came back to his vault.

* * *

Potter Manor

Several hours later

"So let me get this straight." Sirius said after the silence grew too oppressive.

"You-" Here he pointed at Merlin. "Are Merlin's memories in a fake body."

Merlin nodded.

"And Merlin wasn't really a wizard?"

Again Merlin nodded, though he frowned a little at Sirius' tone.

Sirius held his head in his hands. "Am I the only one completely confused here?"

There was a resounding "No" as the majority of the adults in the room agreed with Sirius.

Merlin sighed softly. "I promise you that what I an saying is true."

"Then where is your proof?" Andromeda asked sternly. Merlin raised an eyebrow. Did she really think that tone would affect him? He was far older than she was, even without the time he had been sitting unactivated.

"I told you my race was capable of traveling the stars." He said. "Do you want to see that as proof?"

"How will we know its not an illusion or something else like that?" Carolynn spoke up, and Merlin pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling in Lantean.

"Fine, you want proof, I'll bring down the first thing my grandson and I built together." He said before he asked the ship to beam down one of the constructors. He frowned as nothing happened, before he huffed, annoyed, and took away Harry's administrative control of the beaming technology. It seemed that he was still being a brat about this whole mess.

A moment later the constructor appeared in the center of the room, completely bypassing the wards like Merlin had and startling the adults with the low humming sound.

"What...is that thing?" Nymphadora asked, and Merlin smiled slightly before he said. "That is the constructor, a machine capable of creating any natural material or device from energy alone."

Lily looked at him sharply for that. "I thought that matter couldn't be created or destroyed?"

"Then where did matter itself come from in the first place?" Merlin countered, and she opened her mouth to retort before she registered what he said, then closed it again, pondering.

"You're saying you made a machine that can conjure?" Sirius asked incredulously. He had never heard of a muggle machine that could do such a thing.

"We, that is my grandson and I, are not sure." Merlin explained. "Neither of us have magic, but he inherited an ability from our people, which was how I found him."

"What ability?" Lily asked.

"Telekinesis is what I think you call it." Merlin answered, and she made a small 'oh' with her mouth.

"Can we see this machine make something?" Remus asked softly. He had been very quiet since Merlin had revealed his projector, thinking of the legends of history to see if there was anything that could relate to these Alterans. So far, he had nothing.

"It has to be something it can see, I don't have the proper tools to program it here."

Though he wasn't sure what Merlin meant by programming, James got off his chair then gestured at it. "Then why not this?"

Merlin nodded and sent a command to the sphere. It moved forward soundlessly, making the other occupants of the room lean away in unease.

With a low hum, the constructor scanned the chair with its sensors, hovering around it mostly for effect as it compiled the dimensions. There was a low beeping sound, and Merlin nodded to himself before he ordered it to create another chair.

The same humming sound grew stronger, but the wizards could not see anything happening. Then before their eyes, the legs of the same chair were materializing inch by inch, slowly growing up from the ground until a complete copy of the chair was standing next to James' own.

James tentatively poked the chair and it tipped backward slightly. "Its real..." He breathed, and Lily waved her wand over the chair, frowning as she added. "Its not a conjuration."

"But thats impossible!" Sirius cried out, only to get an amused look from Merlin.

"And so is the idea of magic for most people on Earth." he replied, making Sirius flush slightly.

"Yeah..but..." Sirius floundered slightly. "Honey give me some help, you're the smart one."

Carolynn rolled her eyes at her husband. "I think that...Merlin understands what you mean Siri."

She looked directly at Merlin as she added: "Where is this grandson of yours anyway? Shouldn't he be down here explaining with you?"

Merlin kept his face the same as he internally winced. "I believe he said something about a project that needed his attention."

Andromeda caught the slight change in inflection and her eyes narrowed, but she kept her mouth shut, watching Merlin carefully. His actions hadn't been hostile yet, but she would reserve judgement for when he showed them his 'ship'.

* * *

Harry felt the control for the Hermes disappear from his mind and tried to grasp at it, only for it to slip out of his fingers. It seemed Merlin figured out what he did.

He sulked a bit as he went to his room and lost himself in the data crystal, trying to forget what was happening on the surface. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried to concentrate, his mind would keep on wandering to just what Merlin was talking about on the surface.

Harry sighed deeply before he stood up from the desk and threw himself on the bed. It wasn't fair. When he had come to rescue Andrew again, he'd only wanted to bring him with them. But noooo, Merlin had to swoop in and say they needed _more_ people at Paradise, then completely override his decisions. He hated it. He wasn't a damned child for Merlin to order around as he pleased. He was practically an adult!

The last thing that he wanted was to be anywhere near his birth parents. He knew that even if they never found out who he was, they would still be there, staring at him and asking questions and wasting his time! He didn't want to spend any time with them at all!

With a snarl he grabbed the metal waste-bin by his desk and crumpled it into a ball, breathing heavily. Then he straightened it out before crushing it again, straightened and crushed, until he fell to his bed exhausted from the mental strain. He didn't really feel better, but at least he was barely aware enough to think about what was happening.

The relative freedom he had all this time was going to be taken away from him, he was sure of it.

* * *

Merlin was so glad that they had upgraded the scout class ships recently, otherwise it would be very hard to prove that they were in space. Instead of the room with the control chair being empty, Merlin had added a sort of viewscreen that interfaced with the chair, allowing for a visual image of space compiled from the sensors. It gave the illusion that there was a window on the bridge, when he and Harry hadn't seen fit to add one to the design of the scout ships.

He heard several gasps and kept a neutral expression, knowing that this was something that people needed time to accept. Instead, he quietly beamed himself to Harry's room, seeing him deeply asleep. The metal waste-bin Harry had insisted on buying a few months ago was crumpled into a ball, and the entire room showed signs of strain from his telekinesis.

Merlin shook his head sadly before he beamed himself out again. He'd have to talk to him later when they were alone.

He wasn't surprised to find most of them nearly pressed up against the screen, as if they could somehow see the planet better. For him, it was nothing unusual, but for these people, especially the wizards, it was likely that they would have not even seen pictures of what their planet looked like from space.

He felt a 'touch' on his arm , and turned around to see Andrew looking up at him. "Hows Harry?" he whispered, looking around as if his brother would just suddenly appear in the room.

Merlin held his hand to the bridge of his nose before he breathed out. Well, at least he imitated it. "He wasn't happy with the idea of bringing them all along."

Andrew looked somewhat understanding, but also a little hurt, and Merlin quickly understood why. "He is still very unhappy with your parents Andrew, please don't push him on this; he needs to forgive them on his own."

Andrew sighed softly before he looked back towards the window. "I still can't believe he was hiding all of this from me."

"He didn't want to, but he saw no choice." Merlin said quietly. "He was afraid that the wizards would be able to take the information from your mind without your consent, and declare war on the muggles out of fear."

"But they wouldn't...do that." Andrew finished lamely at Merlin's look. He knew that he was wrong about that. Given by how little had changed in wizarding society in the past centuries, wizards on a whole were rather afraid of change, and a change like this would terrify them.

He didn't say anything else after that, and Merlin have his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before stepping back. "So have I given you enough proof?" He called out loud.

Several of the people by the 'window' jumped before turning around. Several of them looked somewhat shell-shocked, and Merlin didn't blame them. They were likely questioning everything that they knew.

Andrew looked at the people in the room before he turned to Merlin. "I believe him."

James, though still hesitant, couldn't exactly refute the amount of evidence that was being given to him. He gave a furtive glance to his wife before he said. "We as well."

Sirius looked at his wife, and she seemed to steel herself before nodding. "We also believe you."

Andromeda was still not completely convinced, there was something about Merlin that made her on edge. She knew he was hiding something, the evasion about his son especially bothering her. But she also knew that her husband and daughter believed him. "We...as well."

Merlin nodded somberly. "My offer of leaving Earth stands to any of you that are in this room, but I will not break apart families to do so."

James didn't hesitate a second, his son's safety at the forefront of his mind. "As soon as we can pack our belongings from Potter Manor, we'll be ready to leave.

Sirius was more than ready to follow his friend. Despite her ingenuity, his wife was a muggleborn, making her less than dirt to the ministry. His career as an Auror had been under strain since the day he married her, hell since he had started dating her, and he was constantly terrified that someone he had arrested that was later released would find a way to target her and his child.

He looked at his wife, and though she was pained at the idea of abandoning Earth, she had no one alive to tether her there. Her parents had been two of many killed during Voldemort's first rise, and she was an only child. Her other relatives had no interaction with her parents, mainly due to her father' marrying a 'lesser woman', whatever than meant. All she knew was that her father was born into high society, and like her own husband, could not deal with it.

"We'll need to put our affairs in order with Gringotts, but we'll be ready to leave within a week." She said softly, cradling Charles closer to herself as she realized just what she was doing.

"I'll be ready to leave in a few days." Andromeda said. Thanks to her 'disgraceful' choice of partner, she was often treated like a slave by the management of St. Mungos, which was why she had no compunctions about leaving that place behind. Let them explain how one of their best healers left without prior notice.

Her husband worked a low level post at the Daily Prophet, and was similarly discriminated against for his parentage. Their daughter had graduated from Hogwarts the year before, but after Andrew was forced back to Hogwarts by the ministry, she wanted nothing to do with the Auror program. As such she had yet to find a job, and had taken to staying with her parents while looking for work.

Ted nodded his support, as did Tonks, excitement making her hair suddenly shift through several colors before settling. Merlin stared at her hair before he caught himself, and nodded. "We'll bring a few cargo ships to pack all of your belongings." Given that the cargo ships were smaller than the Hermes, it would likely take two to carry all of the belongings of the Potters, unless... they had a few of those trunks with them?

"Actually, if I might make a suggestion...I've heard that there were trunks larger on the inside than on the out?" Merlin asked innocently. Andrew gave him a look but no one seemed to notice, all focused on the old man.

Sirius nodded to himself. "We have a few of those in the Black vault."

Merlin nodded to him, then his eyes sharpened a bit before he added. "And you do not need to bring money with you, only family artifacts; everything else you need will be provided." At the unease in their expressions, he was fairly certain that this recommendation would go unheeded.

"What about the house elves?" Lily asked quietly. She did not want to stay here, but she also didn't want the Potter elves to suffer in their absence.

That had Merlin stumped. He wasn't sure how the highly 'magical' house elves would react to space travel, as far as he knew they were completely native to earth.

With a small command, he had the ship fly closer to the earth, heading directly toward the remote island that Harry was so fond of. In a way it wasn't surprising, given how similar the climate was to Paradise, the first place that Harry really considered home.

He engaged the cloak and plotted a microjump toward the planet's surface, just enough so that the heat would not start flaring against the shields. The hyperspace window opened for less than a tenth of a second before they reappeared twenty thousand feet above the ocean, moving toward the island at a fast pace.

"What the bloody hell!" He heard a frightened shout, and held up his hands calmly as he turned around.

"That is hyperspace travel, I used it to bring us closer to the planets surface."

"Why?" Merlin pinpointed Sirius as the one who asked.

"I was not sure what effect that the beaming technology would have on elves, so I thought it would be better if they could come aboard by their own means."

He looked at their dumbfounded faces with exasperation. "Well, are you going to call them or not?"

He almost sighed when they scrambled to do as he suggested.

* * *

November 13

Paradise

"Harry, can you please come out of your room?" Harry closed his eyes and let the air rush out of his lungs. It seemed he was finally going to get that lecture from Merlin.

Reluctantly, he started to get out of his bed, knowing that if he didn't, Merlin would just beam himself into his room, or beam Harry out.

A few minutes later he was completely dressed, and he walked to the workshop room where Merlin was standing by the entrance.

"Yes Merlin?"

Merlin stared at him. There was defiance in his posture, but also sadness, and he had no idea why Harry looked so unhappy.

Merlin almost said "we need to talk", but he didn't want to seem too confrontational. Instead, he began "I need to understand."

Harry looked at him strangely, but the defiance was still there. "Understand what?"

"Why you don't want them to come." Merlin answered, and Harry's face blanked.

"Why does it matter? They're coming no matter what!" Merlin gave Harry a look for the anger in his tone, but he didn't say anything about it.

"It matters because it is bothering you." He replied, and Harry snorted softly before he turned his back and started to walk away. Annoyed, Merlin beamed him so that he was facing him again, and Harry gave him a small glare for not letting him go.

"I just don't want them to come alright!" Why was that so hard for Merlin to understand?

"Why do you not want them to come?" Merlin returned, and Harry bit his lip before he could say something nasty back. "I just don't!"

"There has to be a reason you don't want them to come." Merlin replied, letting his annoyance slip into his tone.

Harry glared moodily at him and started to take a step away, then stopped, remembering what had happened the last time he tried to walk away.

"Well?"

Harry mumbled something under his breath the even the sensors had trouble deciphering.

"Harry.." Merlin warned, and the boy seemed to puff up with indignation.

"Fine, you want to know why I don't want them here! They're just going to be in the way! We'll never be able to work on our plans together because you'll just be distracted by them!" Harry quickly turned his head, ashamed at the tears of anger and frustration.

Merlin didn't notice, to busy thinking about what Harry had said. For most of his life, Harry had been alone, and felt that Merlin was like a father to him. Merlin admitted that he felt that Harry was like a son to him as well. But now he could see why Harry was so upset. He was jealous!

Now that he had thought about it, the same thing happened when he offered to give Andrew lessons. Harry was afraid of losing all the time they spent together. He looked up and saw the tears.

"Oh child." Merlin sighed deeply before he opened his arms, Harry running into them and holding on tightly. "You will always be the most important one to me, I promise."

* * *

November 17

Merlin flew towards the island he was mentally dubbing mini-paradise with the Mercury, a single cargo ship following him in case it was needed.

Harry and the Hermes was still at Paradise, working on their design of the Ares battleship. Merlin honestly didn't care if he was using it as a distraction, even with their talk a few days ago Harry was still unhappy with the idea of "sharing" him with the other people. He was also still unhappy with him, but at least he was speaking to him again.

Merlin smiled a bit at that. He had never been good with children, and never had any of his own when he descended. Still, to think that Harry was so possessive of him as a father figure was a little, dare he say it, cute. Not that he would ever tell Harry that.

The ship landed on the island beach smoothly, the inertial thrusters keeping it from sinking into the sand. Merlin waited impatiently for the wizards to arrive by house-elf, and tasked the ship to examine just how they traveled. If he was right, it could revolutionize space travel.

The Potters arrived first, ten family trunks between them and their entourage of twenty elves. Merlin hoped that their names would not be all similar. He was also a bit surprised at the amount of trunks that they packed. With how much Harry's had stored, did they really need that much space?

Sirius and Remus followed soon after, Carolynn coming along with them. They had no elves, for what reason Merlin wasn't sure, but the Blacks had three trunks while Remus had only one, a rather shabby looking thing.

The Tonks arrived nearly an hour after the others, carrying three trunks as well. Merlin gave the Potters another long pointed look and was somewhat gratified when Andrew flushed. He had only been planning to pack his things from hogwarts, those having been picked up by pipsey the day after Harry rescued him. But his parents didn't want to leave any of their things behind, even taking a substantial amount of their gold in case the Ministry tried to take it away from them. The gold and artifacts were what took so many trunks to store.

"Is this _everything_?" He asked, looking at James. The man looked somewhat uncomfortable as he nodded, and Merlin gestured towards the waterline, where the ship decloaked. There were several startled squeaks and yells at the Mercury's appearance.

Merlin turned around and gave them an amused look before he walked toward the back of the craft, feeling a little proud at their awe. He dismissed the thought that the craft was still smaller than some of the more common human commercial aircraft, it was only a scout ship after all, and comparing human aircraft to Lantean engineering was like comparing a stick to an assault rifle, if not a fist. In other words, there were no comparison.

The rear entrance opened up before him, and the others timidly followed him inside the machine, staring in wonder. They had only been in the control room before, so to see anything else must be amazing. Merlin would like to say that his ship was pleasing on the eyes, but in reality, he and Harry had designed them for functionality over aesthetics.

That being said, the semi-exposed power conduits must have looked very interesting to the wizards walking past them.

"Your rooms are this way:" he said, gesturing toward the left and right divisions of the passageway. The Path in front of them only led to the command rooms. "Choose any rooms you like, but do _not _use magic to try and alter your surroundings, we aren't sure how you would affect the ship." He gave them all a harsh look. "If you do the slightest bit of magic while on board, I will come back and drop you right back on this planet!"

At their disbelieving stares, he snorted and walked away. Just in case though, he had the ship erect forcefields around the walls of the rooms to prevent most of the magical energy getting through. Or at least he hoped they would.

* * *

Andrew chose the first room on his left and was a bit disappointed, it looked rather barren. With a sigh, he brought his trunk and laid it on the floor, gingerly poking the pale blue bedsheets with his finger and pulling it away. Well at least they were clean. The room itself was painted a cream color, soothing but boring at the same time.

He was still having trouble coming to terms with all of this. A fortnight ago he had thought Earth was alone in the universe, much like the rest of the wizarding world. How arrogant they all were, himself included.

He opened his trunk gingerly, hoping that it didn't affect the ship as Merlin said it would. After a minute, he let out a relieved breath before he started to take out some sleep clothes. He had been running around the whole day with his parents finishing their packing.

* * *

The hyperspace journey was short, but not as short as it could have been. Merlin didn't know how the house elves would fare on he trip, and was not unsurprised when they looked uncomfortable. Hopefully that was emotional rather than physical discomfort. They were leaving their home planet after all.

Merlin had also forbade them from 'popping' around the ship, not knowing if their teleportation was relative to the ship's speed or not. If it wasn't, then they would likely reappear in the middle of space and die almost instantly. If it was...well he didn't want to test it out. Not at the moment anyway.

The hyperspace exit opened anticlimactically, and he steered the ship down to the surface of Paradise before he left the command room to collect his guests. He 'felt' the smallest shudder as the ship entered atmosphere, but the inertial compensators corrected it before any of the wizards could notice.

As soon as they took step on the new world, he saw his guests collectively stop in awe of the view. He smiled a bit, glad that they appreciated the beauty of this world. The house-elves followed behind the wizards, staring at the wilderness with wonder and a bit of worry. All but one, who looked confused.

He led them to the resort building, feeling a sense of pride when their awe transferred to the architecture. It looked somewhat like Roman architecture, but was combined with the elegance and beauty of Alteran architecture, the basis for Lantean structures such as city ships. The white wall were still covered in plant growth, something they hadn't seen fit to remove, but it retained its beauty nonetheless.

As they moved inside he kept his eye on the strange elf, who seemed to be vibrating with anticipation. He remembered she was one of the Potter elves, hadn't Harry mentioned something about the crazy house elf that had annoyed him so much.

With that thought, Merlin's eyes widened. Harry was in his rooms, right where they were headed. He tried to send out a warning, but before he could, the house-elf squealed and disappeared with a pop. He closed his eyes tiredly, knowing what was going to happen now.

A moment later she reappeared with a disguised Harry, who looked disgruntled and yet afraid of what she was going to do.

"Mipsey what are you doing?" James asked his elf. "What could have possessed you to go bothering Merlin's grandson!?"

The little elf looked completely confused. "But he is Master Harry."

Harry's false face turned completely blank as his birth parents stared at the house elf incredulously. How could he have forgotten about this before they picked them all up? Now everything was ruined.

"If you'll excuse me." he said, before he disappeared in a small flash.

James' eyes narrowed at the young man's suspicious behavior, turning his eyes onto Merlin's now blank expression.

"Mipsey, are you sure it was Harry?" He asked quietly, dangerously. Sirius felt himself take a step back before he even realized it, and shared a worried glance with his wife before he pulled her away slightly from the explosion about to go off, casting a reverse silencing spell on Charles. Elves were rarely wrong about identifying people.

"It was master Harry!" She insisted, also staring at Merlin as if it would get him to admit it.

James took a deep breath as his face continued to redden, the air around him becoming agitated.

"I think you should explain." He said directly to Merlin, who kept his face impassive, trying to find a way out of this mess. Harry really didn't need this right now.

But it was no use, Merlin knew of the reputation house elves had, always being able to tell whether or not someone was the person they bonded to. If he didn't admit it, then he would be a liar to them, and they would lose all trust that they had for him. He gave a mental sigh as he made the right choice, knowing that if they were to have their trust, he would have to be honest with them.

"He is Harry." He verified, and the entire room burst into outraged noise.

* * *

Authors Note:

So Harry's secret is out, isn't that going to be fun?

I just realized that Harry's ship and Merlins ship sound somewhat like their names. (Snorts) oh well, I might as well leave them that way.

As always, I appreciate any reviews pointing out things I've missed or don't make any sense. I don't have a beta so I sometimes miss things.

Other than that, hope you enjoyed the slight plot twist(if it can be called that)

Also, as a later note, the next chapter is going to take me a while longer, I'm going on a family trip starting on Saturday and won't be back until the Monday after next.

Posted: 6/25/13

Edited: 6/25/13: changed "felt to his bed" to "fell to his bed"

Edited: 6/26/13: changed "alpha mater" to "alma mater"


	12. Chapter 11

Answers to reviews:

Ok, there was a guest reviewer that said I was merely increasing the drama when I didn't have to, and if that is how the last chapter seemed, then that was not my intention. I am not bored with this story, I just needed a way to transition from Andrew being at Hogwarts to him being at Paradise with his family.

Also, the 'extras' that were referred to in another review are not just extra characters. I do have a reason for bringing them in, they are all students of different areas of magic and will help Andrew with his education while helping Harry and Merlin better understand Magic itself.

The adults will not have any say in what Harry does or doesn't do, they are guests of Merlin and Harry, and as such can be booted back to Earth or placed on another planet if they annoy either of them enough.

Anyway, just wanted to repeat that I have not lost interest in this story, just that the last chapter didn't flow as well as it should have.

I hope that this next one clears up a few things.

Last Time:

Harry's false face turned completely blank as his birth parents stared at the house elf incredulously. How could he have forgotten about this before they picked them all up? Now everything was ruined.

"If you'll excuse me." he said, before he disappeared in a small flash.

James' eyes narrowed at the young man's suspicious behavior, turning his eyes onto Merlin's now blank expression.

"Mipsey, are you sure it was Harry?" He asked quietly, dangerously. Sirius felt himself take a step back before he even realized it, and shared a worried glance with his wife before he pulled her away slightly from the explosion about to go off, casting a reverse silencing spell on Charles, who was elves were never wrong about identifying people.

"It was master Harry!" She insisted, also staring at Merlin as if it would get him to admit it.

James took a deep breath as his face continued to redden, the air around him becoming agitated.

"I think you should explain." He said directly to Merlin, who kept his face impassive, trying to find a way out of this mess. Harry really didn't need this right now.

But it was no use, Merlin knew of the reputation house elves had, always being able to tell whether or not someone was the person they bonded to. If he didn't admit it, then he would be a liar to them, and they would lose all trust that they had for him. He gave a mental sigh as he made the right choice, knowing that if they were to have their trust, he would have to be honest with them.

"He is Harry." He verified, and the entire room burst into outraged noise.

Ch 11:

"QUIET!" Merlin shouted, agitating the air molecules so much that it woke up Charles, even through the silencing charm.

The baby crying was the only sound for a moment before Carolynn took him out of the room, returning only a few seconds later.

James moved as if to stalk up to Merlin, anger overtaking his entire being. How dare he! How dare he contact them pretending to be the Grandfather of Andrew's friend, making them think Harry was dead all of this time? He had no right!

Before he knew what happened, he found himself and everyone else but his son back on the bridge of the Mercury, and Merlin was scowling heavily.

"I can't believe we forgot about the house elves." He muttered to himself, before he looked up at them.

"The main reason I thought to bring you here was so your son would be safe and not need to worry what happened to you, his immediate family and friends." He said, pacing slightly and ignoring James' steadily reddening face.

"I also thought that it would be good for Harry to interact with a few more people than he already does:" Here he nodded to Andromeda and Sirius. "But then this whole mess came up."

James opened his mouth to speak and freaked out when suddenly his lips fused together, jumping up and down and pointing at his lips.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You'll go back to normal after we have this little talk..." He directed at James, then paused again.

"I could guess at what you're thinking right now: How dare that old bastard take the son we left on a doorstep away from us, he's ours and we can do whatever we want with him as we please." Merlin said in a voice that was obviously meant to be James', but managed to sound boorish and uneducated at the same time. James glared at him.

Merlin completely ignored it, continuing with his own diatribe.

"I dare because I have taken care of Harry since he was eight years of age, and he stumbled upon me where my original self had left me to rest, hoping against hope that our descendants would one day be enlightened enough to be worthy of our technology, with me to guide them.

He rolled his eyes slightly at the very idea, then continued.

"I dare because despite what you say, I have spent more time with him than you have. He has come to see me as someone he trusts, and I hate abusing that trust, which I did by merely bringing _you_ here." Merlin said angrily. The fury at what these people had done to _his_ ward, his child, made him want to bring them the same emotional pain twice over.

"Stop it, we did not mean to do anything to him!" Lily cried out.

"You didn't mean to do anything to him? So kidnapping him from a crowded marketplace in Glastonbury was not intentional? Locking him away in the bowels of your manor for a _month_ was just a mistake?" He asked, mocking her.

At her suddenly defeated expression, he felt a surge of triumph.

"Harry hates having his freedom restricted more than anything else, and with his early years, I cannot blame him; but that is not what is important right now." Merlin said, realizing that he didn't want to waste his time when James was growing too angry to even listen to the words he was saying. As it was, only Sirius' hand on his shoulder kept him from moving forward, though the dark look on Sirius' face showed just what he was feeling about this situation.

"You all have a choice: I promised you safety, and I will grant it if you agree to some conditions:" He said, eyeing them all before he began.

"One, the Potter's lodgings will be located on the other side of the planet, no negotiations." He saw both of them deflate at that, Lily about to protest, and glared at her until she closed her mouth.

"Two, the Potter family will not in any way try to bother or persuade my son to talk to them, it is his choice if and when he would like to do so." He said and added under his breath. "Not going to happen anytime soon."

James gave him a venomous look at that while Sirius moved away from him.

"Three, the rest of you may choose to either live with the Potters or here, I do not care, but if they do room here, they will have a way to visit the Potters, but the Potters will not be able to use it."

"And the last one...using any magic on or around me or Harry without our permission will get you booted off this planet and back on Earth, no questions asked." He said menacingly, as if daring them to try such a thing.

He gave all of them a final look before he said. "I'll let you all decide what you want to do now." and disappeared, James' lips unsealing as soon as he disappeared.

"Back here you bastard!" James shouted as soon as his lips were free. Then he seemed to sense the hostility in the room and looked at Sirius. "Great, now everyone wants to yell at us." He nearly growled in frustration. Nothing was turning out right this week. Despite how fast he had decided to leave Earth, it still angered him that the situation at home had deteriorated so much as to force him to do so. He hated the idea of never seeing his home again, but he had put his family first, and now he had a son thought to be dead that had been living with this 'Merlin' all this time. He thought that it was more than reasonable for him to be angry.

Sirius's expression darkened further before he took a step forward. "I've been quiet long enough James, so why don't you tell me why you left _my_ godson _on a doorstep_?" He nearly hissed.

James clenched his teeth for a moment before he forced a calm expression on his face. "It was for Harry's own safety, all the attacks we've had in public since it happened are more than enough proof of that." But truthfully, James had his reservations the whole time, he just decided to go with his wife's decision.

"Only because you were stupid enough to go without bloody glamouring Andrew the first few times!" Sirius hissed. "Really James, why would you even risk it?"

James clenched his fists until they were white, but did not say anything. Who was Sirius to question what he did for his family? He had made a hard decision, and he regretted it; that didn't make it alright for everyone else to come and tell him what a horrible parent he was!

Andromeda was the next to speak up. "James, I know you feel that your choice was for his own safety, but if what Merlin was saying was true, then I don't think your choice of guardians was proper."

Lily took a step forward, her face sad but determined.

"We had thought that my sister would take care of him, he was a squib, normal to her..-"

"You gave him to Petunia?" Remus' voice was soft, but the menace was very clear.

"She was our only choice, he would not be safe in the wizarding world!" Lily tried to justify herself.

"Neither would Andrew!" Sirius exploded. 'Bloody hell Lily no matter how powerful an untrained child can never fight a fully trained wizard, what happened with You Know Who was a fluke of Magic!"

He paced back and forth. "Admit it, Andrew was just as defenseless as Harry against adult wizards, and somehow you think that dumping Harry with someone like _Petunia _of all people would be a good idea?

Lily opened her mouth to speak but Ted Tonks interrupted her.

"Was she even agreeable to the idea?" he added in a deceptively mild voice.

At this, Lily didn't answer, and they remembered the 'left on the doorstep' line.

"You didn't even ask her?" Sirius asked incredulously. And to think that Lily had once been considered the most sensible of all of them.

Lily didn't meet his eyes. "We had no choi-"

"Damn it Lily you always had a choice!" Sirius nearly roared.

James angrily drew his wand and pointed it at Sirius. "Leave my wife alone Black! We both decided to leave Harry there!

Sirius' eyes narrowed at him before he stepped away from him. "I'm going to ask Merlin if we can stay nearby." He said, then turned his back on James.

"Say that again." James asked softly, anger clear in his voice.

"I don't want to be anywhere near you right now _Potter. _You abandoned _my_ godson to those...things, and that's unforgivable."

A moment later, he stormed out of the room, Carolynn giving them an unreadable look before she followed him out.

Ted looked at where Sirius had been standing and shook his head. "I'll side with you on this one James, but I'm not very happy with you right now either."

Andromeda gave James a severe look before she sighed. "I can understand why you did what you did James, but I agree with Sirius, you should have chosen someone other than Lily's sister.

She shook her head to herself. "Still, I will try and help you fix this situation."

James nodded solemnly, then looked at Remus. The man's eyes were narrowed at him and all of a sudden all the anger James had in his body turned into weariness. He didn't want to lose both of his childhood friends over this.

"Go on Remus, say what you want to say." He said softly.

Amber eyes locked onto his own. "I'm not very happy that you gave Harry to Petunia of all people, but you were trying to protect him. I can understand that you were scared, and you made a stupid decision...but your actions are why your own son wants nothing to do with you, and why Merlin is so angry with you."

Remus stepped closer, his words nearly a growl. "You need to fix this."

James nodded solemnly. "I'll try."

* * *

Hogwarts, same day

Dumbledore was both worried and frustrated.

Nearly a week ago, young Andrew Potter had failed to appear for his classes. He had thought that it was just the boy acting up for more attention, but when his head of house had gone to go check up on him, she found his room empty of both the boy's belongings and bed.

The Hogwarts house elves had tracked the bed to right outside of Acromantula territory in the forbidden forest, but the instruments that Dumbledore had illegally tied to Andrew's health and location last year were still functioning. They just weren't making any bloody sense!

No matter what he did, the direction that Andrew was said to be was changing every moment, and would not be plotted on the enchanted map he had designed for use with the trackers. He seemed to be perfectly healthy and happy though, so at least he was safe.

Unfortunately it seemed that the Potters had left Britain, removing the artifacts from their Gringotts vaults as well as a large sum of gold. It was more than obvious that they had decided to relocate somewhere, but wherever it was had to use insanely large amounts of wards to keep his instruments from working.

Rumors about the boy-who-lived being killed in the forbidden forest were rampant, and the reactions were mixed. Several more attacks had been placed on the students, all of them petrified by the heir of Slytherin. Some of the students that had shunned Andrew were now looking for him to return, so the attacks would slow down. Others were happy that the 'boy-who-lived-to-turn-dark' had disappeared. But the majority of the school was terrified of the attacks that showed no signs of slowing down, and Dumbledore was finding himself at a loss for what to do about the situation.

Dumbledore gave a weary sigh. He had thought that isolating the boy further would have done something good, maybe make him reconsider his behavior, but it had only made Andrew angrier and more defiant. He knew that Andrew hadn't been the one to petrify Ms. Norris, nor Colin Creevy, but he couldn't admit that now.

But if he was right, and Voldemort was truly coming back, had he doomed the Wizarding World with his actions? Had forcing Andrew to come back caused all of this?

It made him even more weary to realize that if he had left Andrew alone, the boy-who-lived would still be around. Even if he was alive, only Dumbledore knew, and he didn't want the Auror office questioning him for the illegal blood magic he was using to track him. The Potters, despite having run away from Britain, were still a Pureblood family, and that afforded them more protection against those that used blood magic with their family blood without their consent. He would be vilified, probably even thrown into azkaban if even a rumor of the tracker were to come out. That was how feared blood magic was.

No...for now, he would say nothing. Andrew would come back at some point, even if he had to be forced again...

He sat up, remembering the negotiations for the Triwizard tournament starting again. That was his chance. He would need to wait two years, but something as powerful as the Goblet of Fire could not be ignored. Andrew would have to come back and realize his destiny, whether he wanted to or not.

* * *

November 21, 1992

Paradise

The situation was still tense several days later. Merlin had built a small home on the other side of the planet as he promised, and moved the Potter's belongings with them there. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't Potter Manor either, a point Merlin was more than vindictive enough to point out.

He was nice enough to place point to point transporters that allowed access for their other guests to the Potter house, but the Potters themselves could not access them, he had made sure of that.

As for the guests living within the main building, there were some new ground rules for casting Magic within the building; mainly that they touch nothing that was technology with their magic. They were allowed to explore the upper floors, so long as they didn't enter any of the rooms marked with Do Not Enter signs, written in English by Harry and Andrew, who had taken to looking through various rooms that Harry had seen no reason to look through before.

The two of them were glad they could be spending time with each other, but for Andrew, it was torture. It felt like he was betraying his parents, being able to interact with Harry while they could not. He tried to bury that feeling of betrayal, but it was hard when he went back to his parents home every night and they listened almost desperately to what he and Harry had done that day.

Merlin had taken to sparring with the both of them early in the mornings, Andrew first while Harry warmed up.

Andromeda had started to create a small magical greenhouse for some of the more common magical herbs used in potions, something that had Merlin fascinated. The idea of using this energy to heal wounds at a rate near that of Alteran tech was amazing considering their lack of technology, only using plants and animal extracts with specific and powerful effects. He wondered if it was possible to replicate their energies with machinery, maybe even make them more efficient.

Ted was rather gifted with Charms, especially animation and levitation. It was also interesting that Magic was very similar to Lantean technology in that it relied on intent more than a specific cause and effect like he had thought.

Sirius, along with the elder Potter was rather good at transfiguration and charms together, but also had some education in Arithmancy and Runes due to his upbringing. He had nothing on Lily Potter though, she had steamrolled over the majority of the Purebloods in the school with her high grades in nearly everything but Divination(which she detested) and History of Magic, which was Remus' best subject, even before defense.

Unfortunately, Merlin didn't really want to speak to her about demonstrating runes, so he was debating whether or not he should ask Sirius and Remus to tutor Harry and his brother in runes, something that he could see a great use for if they were able to be connected to technology. Also, despite his dislike for what the descendants of his race had become, he didn't want Andrew to loose his heritage.

Even with the near hatred he had for her, Merlin had acquiesced when Lily asked for a room in their home for the massive Potter Library, which took up nearly three of their expanded trunks, books stacked all together. As a condition, however, it was located in a room in the main resort that Lily and James would not be able to leave, except to go back home. This would allow everyone, especially him and Harry, to access the Library whenever they wanted to.

James spent most of his days working with his wife in the Potter Library, having nothing else to do. It also helped to take his mind off of the fact that Harry had been alive all of this time and chose to hide from them, that he had been afraid of them taking him away from Merlin. James tried to see it from the boy's point of view, he really did, but his anger and frustration at Merlin never really seemed to go away. He hated the.._thing, _not a man, for taking _his _son away from him, but he also tried not to show that anger. He wanted nothing more than for Harry to accept him as his father, to come back to him and say that he forgave them for what they had done, but he knew it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Harry would never want that kind of relationship with him.

But maybe if he worked hard enough to regain his trust, Harry would sometime call him a friend.

* * *

November 30

Unnamed Space

Incomplete Dyson Shell

Andrew was staring out the 'window' with awe at the small patch of metal covering a section of the blue-white star.

"How long will it take to build again?" He asked Harry, who shrugged.

"According to Merlin it should be finished in about twelve years, unless we find a way to increase the time dilation." He said. Honestly, improving Merlin's time technology wasn't really a priority, it wasn't like they needed the sphere right this instant. As it was, there was already a few dozen of the cells, and the speed at which they would replicate would grow faster with how many there were.

"But thats soo long." Andrew said, staring at the cells as if they would suddenly start replicating much faster.

Harry smiled a bit at Andrew, but part of it felt forced. He could understand why Merlin was afraid of something happening to Andrew's parents, but that didn't mean he liked having them around, even if they were on the other side of the planet.

"What do you need it for anyway?" Andrew asked once he peeled his eyes from the window.

Harry hesitated, then decided to tell Andrew anyway. "There are a lot of people flying around the stars Andrew...and most of them are bad."

"So you're gonna use this to fight them, fight aliens?" Andrew asked incredulously.

"Not all of them are aliens, and no, I'm going to use it to build ships to fight them, and to protect other people if I need to." Harry replied, as if the very idea of fighting aliens was completely normal.

Andrew stared at him, and Harry shifted uncomfortably. Eventually Andrew looked away from him, shaking his head.

"My head hurts." He whined.

Harry's eyebrow rose, but he didn't say anything in return.

"I mean, we're in space like a...a...million billion kilometers away from home, living with a guy who's a memory of an alien that looks like a human... Why are you laughing?" Andrew finished crossly.

Harry couldn't help the small chuckles as they escaped. He had felt much the same way when Merlin had first explained things to him, but it was very amusing to see the enormousness of where they were and what they had done had finally sunk in. Not to mention the fact that a million billion kilometers wasn't even two light years.

"Sorry Andrew, but..you sound just like I did when Merlin first told me about our history, ...just now sinking in?"

Andrew harrumphed a bit and crossed his arms. So what if it had taken him this long? He had been caught up in all the drama that seemed to surround his family wherever they went.

"I still can't believe that there are aliens out there, and you're going to fight them."

"No one else is going to, and with all the things my race left me I'm the best choice." Harry answered almost immediately.

Andrew snorted slightly, and Harry gave him a look. "What's so funny?"

Andrew shook his head. "I dunno, its just, you're my age...and you're talking about fighting these really bad guys cause you have to or something...It just...it sounds like my life." He finished almost somberly, all traces of joviality gone from his expression.

Harry opened his mouth to refute the claim, then stopped to think. Well, he was one person...two people with Merlin, against a great many millions of enemies... though the Jaffa were more like servants than enemies, but still. He felt pressured to do something because of the legacy of his ancestors while his brother felt pressured to be someone he wasn't by the society that he grew up in.

So in a way, they were similar.

He shook his head. He didn't want those kind of deep thoughts right now.

"You want to see it up close?" He gestured toward the cells around the sun, now knowing that the shields were more than enough to protect them from solar flares.

Andrew nodded excitedly, and Harry stepped into the control chair, making it light up. Slowly, he plotted a course that went over the area the patch covered, bringing them only four kilometers above the surface of the cells. Andrew was trying not to blink at the harsh light. Harry had the filters up, but he wanted to add a little to the realism, after all this was a sun, an A class at that, they were far from dim.

It filled him with a sense of awe of how large this shell was going to be. Atlantis, according to Merlin (I am quoting Gateworld forums here (1)) was only a little over one and a quarter kilometers in diameter, and city ships were nearly considered the pinnacle of Lantean engineering. But this...there was no comparison. Once the shell was finished, Harry doubted that there would be any artificial structure in the known universe that even came close to it in size.

"Um Harry...?"

Harry tore his eyes away from the screen, and looked at his brother.

"This might be a stupid question...but you said you started this thing with only one of these..." here he fumbled for the word, so Harry asked "cells?"

"Yeah, thats it." Andrew nodded, and Harry thought for a second before he said. "Yes, it only started with one cell, why?"

"Then whats stopping you from making another one?" Andrew asked.

"Another cell?" Harry asked in confusion.

"No, another thingy...another shell!" He added when Harry confusion was still there.

Harry stared at him incredulously, and barely kept himself from smacking his forehead. Why hadn't he thought about that?"

"Um...I never really thought about making another one Andrew." He said sheepishly, and his brother rolled his eyes.

"Why not?" Andrew asked. "You've already started to make one, why not make another?"

Harry scrambled to think why Merlin hadn't mentioned something like this, then he remembered. How would he manage to get the piece to another star? The effectiveness of a hyperdrive depended on both the size of the ship and the power supplied to it.

The proverbial lightbulb went over his head. Something this large would require a ridiculous amount of power to go even the slightest bit faster than light. Even if he had ZPMs ready(and they weren't, the first batch was expected in early 2002) He would bet that they would be drained by the transfer, if they even managed to make it that far. If only they had a stargate large enough to move the pieces...

"Harrry? Harrrry? You still alive in there?"

Harry shook his head. "We can't move something that big, that's why we haven't started to make another one by now." Then he remembered his other idea, and what Andrew would later term a 'scary grin' appeared on his face.

Without warning, he hugged Andrew tightly before he dashed back to the chair, nearly cackling as he manipulated the gel sacs. His brother was a genius!

Andrew stared at his brother in wary confusion and fear. He decided to do the smart thing and left the room as quickly and quietly as he could.

* * *

They reappeared over Paradise in less than four minutes, a testament to just how excited Harry was to be pushing the engines so far. Andrew found himself beamed to his room only seconds after they arrived, and Merlin was greatly unamused when he was beamed up in his place.

However, his expression changed once he realized just what Harry was getting at. The idea of a massive stargate had been considered before, but the astronomical power requirements had put off most research into the idea, especially after the war with the Wraith began. However, with the total output of a sun...it would be more than enough, especially if they stored the excess power in larger versions of the ancient capacitors. They wouldn't be able to sustain it indefinitely, but with enough stored power it would be easy to run a gate like this for an hour, more if they made the gate smaller than Harry was suggesting.

He did think that creating another sphere was somewhat wasteful, but not if it was located at a fair distance from this one, perhaps the other side of the galaxy? Even with the speed of their Hyperdrives, it would be nice to have a way to travel even faster in case of an emergency.

Merlin shook his head in fond exasperation. Harry never ceased to surprise him with his ideas.

* * *

December 1

Gringotts:

Harry wasn't sure why he felt off when he entered the bank, but there was an itch in his mind that was making him feel wary. His precognition was weak, but it was still there after all, and he knew better than to ignore his instincts.

He was wearing normal clothes today, deeming the amount of magic around the bank hazardous to his hardsuit, but he had two small cuffs made of a similar compound to his staff around his wrists, Merlin had insisted. They would only channel and amplify his abilities, so there was almost no technology in them.

Harry cleared his throat as the Goblin clerk continued to ignore him. The goblin gave him a nasty scowl, and Harry glared at him in return, no longer bothering to be polite. "I would like to speak to Manager Sharptooth." He said quickly, and the goblin sneered at him before gesturing at the door.

The feeling of wrongness persisted, but Harry did as the goblin directed and headed towards the doorway, keeping a link with his ship active at all times. He wanted to be beamed out if something happened.

When he knocked on the door to Sharptooth's office, Harry tightened his fists before relaxing them, then entered as Sharptooth said to.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, how may I be of assistance to you today?" Sharptooth asked.

Harry gave him an unreadable look, something about the goblin seemed off today, like he was far more excited than he should be. Warily, he extended his mind forward, moving around the barriers Sharptooth had so carefully crafted with ease.

But when he found what he was looking for, he paled drastically and yanked the mental probe out of the Goblin's head, making the goblin wince, then glare as he realized what had happened to him.

With an oath, Sharptooth practically leapt from his desk, an axe appearing in his hand, only for his downward motion to be halted midway by Harry's upturned palm.

When he realized that he wasn't getting any closer to Harry, Sharptooth snarled. "You invaded my mind!"

"And you invaded _our_ privacy!" Harry snarled right back. While not as impressive as a grown goblin's expression, it was nothing to scoff at, especially with how several objects in the room started to crumple inward with his anger.

Sharptooth sneered at him. "It is common practice for us to do so, don't think that you are the only one we have done it to."

Harry faltered slightly. He should have known that it wasn't just him. "What gives you the right to do that?"

"A loophole in the 1612 treaty." Sharptooth answered and Harry growled at him, unknowingly tightening his grip.

"Morally!" He hissed, and the goblin glared before reluctantly answering. "To protect ourselves from the mad schemes you wizards love to concoct."

"The mad schemes...that still doesn't give you any right to do that!" Harry shouted.

Sharptooth ignored his anger with practiced ease, only wincing when the telekinetic grip he was in tightened just a little more.

"On the contrary, it has saved Gringotts millions of galleons in investments." Sharptooth retorted, and was suddenly dropped onto the floor, Harry giving him a murderous look.

"If you do know everything about what we spoke about, you would also know that I could take my money out of my vault without your permission?" Harry asked pleasantly.

Sharptooth's face was completely blank. "You are completely within your rights to do so."

His nonchalant tone stopped Harry short. How could he threaten the goblin with the removal of his money if said goblin didn't care?

"I..how..you...auggh!" Harry growled, resisting the urge to stamp his foot, he just wanted to hit something!

He took several deep breaths trying to calm himself down, but kept his eyes on Sharptooth. Eventually, he felt he was calm enough and looked at him.

Sharptooth's eyebrow rose. "Are you calmer now, or do you feel a further need to destroy my office?"

Harry glanced around and winced at the misshapen furniture and decorative pieces. He had not meant to do that.

"I can fix them." He said, guilt overtaking his earlier anger. In a way, it made sense for the goblins to be suspicious of the wizards, and that tempered his anger some. But he was still more than a little unhappy with Sharptooth, even if he was also guilty of destroying his office.

"Don't bother." Sharptooth said with a wave of his hand, then clapped loudly. The damaged items seemed to glow before reshaping into their previous forms.

Harry realized he was gaping before he quickly shut his mouth, catching Sharptooth's amused expression, and ignoring his reddening cheeks.

"Humans are not the only ones prone to acts of work related violence." Sharptooth said, giving the axe at his side a meaningful look.

Harry nodded slightly and Sharptooth's expression turned neutral once again before he said: "Now if that is all cleared up, I would like to propose a business arrangement."

Harry gave him a suspicious look but nodded, and Sharptooth's expression brightened slightly.

"I am sure you remember how rare unbound Mithril is?" The goblin asked, and Harry gave him a confused look before he realized what the goblin was talking about.

"You mean naquada?" He asked in slight disbelief. It wasn't _that _hard to find, especially with the star charts and technology he had at his disposal.

Sharptooth gave him a measuring glance before he said. "The heavyweight purple metal."

Harry nodded to himself. They were definitely talking about the naquada.

"If you occasionally supply the bank with the same amount you gave us previously, I will make sure that you are handsomely rewarded for it." He said.

Harry gave him a bemused look. "Um...I don't know how to really say this, and please don't take any offense, but gold doesn't interest me."

Harry was sure that he was one of the first humans to see a goblin flabbergasted. Were the wizards really this greedy about their gold?

A moment later though, he recovered and asked. "Then what is it that you would like in exchange?"

Harry looked at the goblin critically, wondering. "Have you told anyone else of what you have heard in our conference room?"

"Not yet. I wanted to speak to you first." Sharptooth said.

Harry held his chin in his hand, thinking. "How about this...I know that the goblins have their own methods of making armor and weapons by enhancing the metal with magic...I'd like to observe and record this energy during the process, and maybe learn how to replicate it.

Sharptooth's face twitched for a second, but that was it.

"You...drive a hard bargain Mr. Potter. You do know that our methods have been kept secret from the wizards since their creation?"

"I do." Harry nodded. "But I also know that your race loves naq-mithril, and I give you my word that my mentor and I will not share the secrets you give us with any other wizards."

Sharptooth gave a considering frown, before he sighed and said "I will need to speak to my supervisor about this."

Harry nodded slightly. That was perfectly fine with him. "Go ahead, so long as he vows to keep the information only between you two."

Sharptooth nodded in return, then smiled a bit. "It is a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Potter."

Harry bowed slightly. "And you as well."

After that, Harry left the bank, promising to return in three days time.

* * *

Authors Note:

1 Alright, here is the direct quote from the gateworld forum. The thread name is called: Finally! A definitive answer on the real size of Atlantis

"Hi

From a question I asked Bruce Woloshyn, I thought it could interest you  
to know the answer:

So, here is the real size of Atlantis:

The city is appox:  
1.33 km from north to south  
1.24 km from west to east  
680 m from top to bottom  
320 m from top to the surface of the ocean"

Bruce Woloshyn was one of the people working on the models for the first season of the show, so I think this should be accurate enough, even if it is a letdown to those who thought the city was much larger than this (myself included)


	13. Chapter 12

Answers to reviews:

There are a lot of people talking about the dimensions of the show, and just to make it completely official, I am using their dimensions for the ships, at least those that are not from Earth. I'm not sure whether or not Harry's input will affect just how the SGC build their ships or their size.

I understand that some people don't like those dimensions, and in some episodes I agree with them, in my opinion several of the space battles (Ori incursion through the supergate comes to mind) have the scales of the ships all messed up. In this episode the Ha'tak look about the same size as the Daedalus to me, and the Asgard O'Niell class ships should be around the same size as the Ori ships (all of the dimensions are from verified sources on the stargate wiki).

As it was pointed out to me, in the episode "failsafe" (season 5 episode 17) the asteroid that is about to hit Earth is far larger than the solar cells (137,000 meters long compared to 10,000) and yet SG1 was able to include it in the hyperspace field of a Tel'tak, which is apparently only 15 meters long.

The issue of how the fleet will be controlled will also be addressed in this chapter.

And finally I wanted to thank everyone for all the positive reviews, they really encourage me to write.

Last Time:

Harry held his chin in his hand, thinking. "How about this...I know that the goblins have their own methods of making armor and weapons by enhancing the metal with magic...I'd like to observe and record this energy during the process, and maybe learn how to replicate it.

Sharptooth's face twitched for a second, but that was it.

"You...drive a hard bargain Mr. Potter. You do know that our methods have been kept secret from the wizards since their creation?"

"I do." Harry nodded. "But I also know that your race loves naq-mithril, and I give you my word that my mentor and I will not share the secrets you give us with any other wizards."

Sharptooth gave a considering frown, before he sighed and said "I will need to speak to my supervisor about this."

Harry nodded slightly. That was perfectly fine with him. "Go ahead, so long as he vows to keep the information only between you two."

Sharptooth nodded in return, then smiled a bit. "It is a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Potter."

Harry bowed slightly. "And you as well."

After that, Harry left the bank, promising to return in three days time.

Ch12:

December 3, 1992

Paradise

Drone storage room

Harry stared at the innocent looking racks holding thousands of drone weapons.

It was hard to see just how dangerous they were, they looked nothing like conventional earth missiles. Compared to said missiles, they were far smarter and more powerful, so much that the Ancients had become dependent on them instead of upgrading their energy weapons as they should have.

A single drone was more than enough to destroy a Goa'uld Hatak, if fired in the correct place, and that was what scared Harry so much. All wizards were descended from the Alterans, and as such would be able to access _any_ ancient technology. The only reason that the whole resort wasn't responding to the active gene was that Harry had locked their 'guests' out of everything except for the doors. He shuddered to think of one of the wizards gaining control of one of the drone weapons through the control chair in the center of the resort. Or even worse, one of the ships.

Harry sighed to himself as he directed the Hermes to start beaming up the drones into its storage bays, a pair of drone launchers like those of the gate ships had been added to the front of the ship on Merlin's insistence. Harry just thought it was overkill.

His ship didn't really need all of the drones he was loading, carrying a complement of 128 drones while the Aurora class ships held many thousands at full capacity. He was taking nearly half of the drones they had produced so far to start restocking the antarctic outpost(the other half staying at Paradise). He was also planning to interface an alternate power source to the ZPMs in case Earth was ever attacked and he was far out of reach. It was always better to be safe than sorry after all

Andrew had been bugging him to go flying in the ship again, but Harry wasn't about to let him come this time. He remembered just how easy it had been for the Potters to track him when he was on Earth. Who knew if the Ministry wizards had something similar for Andrew?

* * *

The Hermes jumped out of the Hyperspace window behind the moon while the cloaking systems engaged a microsecond later. Harry directed the ship to scan for the Alteran ring platform under the ice, already knowing the approximate location of the stargate from the first time Merlin beamed them both to it.

Merlin had given him some approximate coordinates, but with the shifting of the landscape over the years he had been asleep they were not very accurate. The ice was very thick, and Harry was reduced to the ship hovering only a few kilometers above the ice to scan.

After a few minutes of him staring out the viewscreen while the ship searched there was a quiet beeping sound. He looked through the sensors and nodded to himself. That had to be it.

The only problem was the mile or so of ice keeping him from reaching the outpost.

With a thought, Harry directed the ship's transporters to start beaming ice in the shape of a circle about two meters wide. If he were outside, he would see a rapidly forming hole in the ground, one that looked as if it were eating the ice while creating a metallic compound that kept the tunnel stable.

Thirty seconds later and there was a small ping in his mind that told him the ship was done, and Harry activated the hardsuit around him before heading to the back of the ship. Even if the tunnel was perfectly formed, he didn't exactly trust the beaming technology with that kind of depth. For all he knew there were traces of elements that would interfere with the beaming and he'd turn into a puddle of goo when he reached the bottom.

He'd rather go down in a different way.

Though the hardsuit protected him from the cold, it did not protect him from the harsh wind racing around the plateau, and he nearly fell over before he could right himself. Harry grumbled a bit in annoyance before activating the shield around his chest, and the wind seemed to disappear. Without the wind pushing him around, it was easy to inspect the perfectly cut hole in the ground.

All he could see was darkness.

Harry gulped nervously before he asked his ship for his staff. He hoped that with both the hardsuit braces and the staff, he would not tire too quickly. The staff lit up with a glow as he held it, and Harry nodded to himself before he jumped into the center of the hole.

Almost immediately he felt himself accelerating, and he reached out with his telekinesis, sending out small feelers of energy that acted like claws, reducing his fall speed to about five meters per second. The glow from his staff was almost eerie, reflecting against the thin metal layer around him and making him seem as if he was in a tunnel solely made of light.

Almost three minutes later he started slowing himself further until he landed on the ground with a small thud. He landed right in the center of the ring platform, panting lightly from the strain of using his telekinesis for so long.

He'd have to see about adding a ring platform to the Hermes at some point, they were far safer to use than standard beaming.

Much like in the tunnel, the light from his staff lent the cavern he was in an eerie quality. He slowly moved away from the ring platform and saw a honeycomb like wall in front of him, a light sheen of ice over it.

The control chair was only a few seconds after that, and when it failed to light up at his presence Harry was sure that the power supplies were depleted. Harry quietly cursed the Lanteans shortsightedness in depending on a power source that took so long to create. He sent a signal up to the Hermes to send a few constructors with the power supplies he needed.

A single ZPM was more powerful than a single Naquada generator, but five of the generators could produce more power than one ZPM at maximum drain, and were far easier to make. The only advantage that ZPMs had was that they did not require maintenance, they continually provided power as it was needed until they ran out. Harry just thought they were a lazy substitute. But they were probably good for emergencies.

A minute later five constructors appeared from the shaft and started to reintegrate the supplies they were carrying. Once they were done, Harry directed four of them to start creating a hatch to cover the hole in the ground, not wanting any of the people working at one of the Antarctic bases to run across it by accident.

He then ordered the fifth one to follow him around as he started to interface the suitcase sized naquada generators with the control chair.

* * *

Later that day

Gringotts New Orleans

Sharptooth's office

Harry fought the urge to squirm as Sharptooth's director, Ragnok stared at him. When Sharptooth had said he needed to speak to his supervisor, Harry hadn't thought that he was talking about the goblin running the branch!

Ragnok (named so for being the branch manager) was several inches taller than Sharptooth, and far more muscular. His skin was slightly darker, and his mouth seemed to be in a permanent scowl.

"Sharptooth has told me of your request." He finally said in a gravelly voice. Harry was briefly shocked at the display of age, the goblin didn't look much older than Sharptooth.

Uncomfortably, he looked at the goblin, not knowing what to say.

"I am unsure of the sensibility of allowing a squib to enter a deal with us when there is no magic binding you to honesty." Ragnok added contemplatively, and Harry pushed down the surge of irritation at the fact that no matter where he went, it seemed the magical world would judge him for not having their precious magic.

"I gave you the N-Mythril with no ill will." He said confidently. "You offered far more for the metal than I thought was necessary."

"And yet you accepted the other gifts we provided you with." Ragnok said.

Harry bit his lip, not about to say he only accepted the weapons to learn about how they were enchanted. That would probably seem very rude.

He looked at Sharptooth, trying to ask if he had told Ragnok about the entirety of that conversation.

"Yes, Sharptooth has told me of your 'Merlin' and his tale, but I need evidence to see this is true before I even think of brokering a deal."

Harry didn't bother to hide his surprise that the elder goblin had known what he had been thinking, and Ragnok chuckled gravelly. "Mental shields mean nothing if you cannot hide your expressions." He said, then crossed his arms slightly before he asked. "Your proof?"

Harry thought for a moment then decided he would go with the same demonstration Merlin had given before.

"I am going to bring something into this room through the wards." He said calmly, and Ragnok looked amused at the very idea. He opened his mouth, and shut it when a small oddly shaped object appeared in the center of the room, hovering silently. He gave a narrowed eye look to Harry. How had he managed to bring such a thing into his bank without so much as a peep from the wards? Had he been abusing this ability?

"I swear upon my ancestors that I have not used this to try and steal from your bank, or any other, Director." Harry said softly, trying to convey just how much he meant it. Ragnok continued to look a bit suspicious at him, then waved his hand and said. "Was this your demonstration?"

"No Director...do you have any non-enchanted items in this office Sharptooth?" He asked his account manager, and the other goblin thought for a moment before he pointed out the chair Harry typically sat in.

"Why do you ask that?" Ragnok questioned.

"Because the device I brought down here cannot copy magical energy, only physical structure, and does not use magic to do so." Harry said confidently, and Ragnok sat back again, appeased for the moment, though looking as if he were only humoring him.

Harry directed the constructor forward with a thought, smiling slightly as it circled around the chair and beeped. Ragnok's eyes narrowed at the electronic tone but he said nothing.

The constructor moved back into the center of the room and started humming, using insignificant amounts of matter from the walls of the room as well as dust and water vapor. As it did so, the chair started to grow from the floor, taking only a minute to form into the same hard-backed wood that Harry was used to.

Ragnok watched the demonstration with a guarded expression, but when Harry gently brushed against his mind there was only confusion and disbelief.

Harry gestured toward the chair. "I am more than willing for you to check whether not it is an illusion or a trick Director."

Ragnok looked at him, wondering if the boy was bluffing, but his body language seemed to say the opposite. He was certain of what he felt, and it showed in his posture, his tone, his eyes.

That didn't mean he was going to give up yet. "For all I know you have stumbled across an ancient artefact, what proof do you have that you can travel across the stars?"

Harry felt like banging his head against the wall, but he tried his best to keep the irritation hidden. Ragnok felt a bit of amusement at his failure to do so. The eyes always gave people away; wizards and goblins both.

"I could take you up to my ship, or another planet, the one that I call home, if you would like more proof." He said.

Ragnok narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then said. "Do we have your oath you will not try anything to harm either myself or any other member of my bank when you do so?" For some reason the idea of traveling to another _planet_ did not phase him. Either that or he had the world's best poker face.

Harry assumed the latter.

"I'm assuming you mean the goblins, not your clients?" Harry asked politely, and when Sharptooth gave him a look Harry couldn't help it. "What? Its not like I'm going to attack them if you say yes! And besides...you can't tell me you actually like the pompous idiots!" He grumbled, then paled slightly when he realized just who he had said that in front of.

He was surprised though, to see the small smile on Ragnoks face before it quickly disappeared. "Yes Mr. Potter, I am solely asking you not harm any of the goblins in my bank." Harry was thankful he made no mention of the second part of what he said.

"Then I give you my word." Harry said solemnly, and bowed as he would to Merlin in one of their lessons. A bow of elder and student.

Ragnok's eyes gleamed slightly as he said "Now show me this proof."

* * *

Harry beamed them onto the bridge of the Hermes right from the office, making both goblins jump as they suddenly appeared into a place they did not know.

About to berate Harry for the suddenness of their departure, Sharptooth caught sight of the viewscreen and lost the ability to speak. Ragnok, though much more composed, did the same, and Harry let them. It was funny how quickly he had taken traveling by ship for granted, he no longer stared at the sight of Earth or other planets like they did.

"This...I never...to see." Ragnok whispered softly, and for a moment Harry though he saw a tear in his eye.

It took him some effort to look away from the Earth, but he managed it, cuffing Sharptooth along the shoulder when he refused to move.

"I believe we can come to an arrangement." Ragnok said, and gave a true goblin smile.

Harry did not flinch at the goblin's shark-like teeth but instead bowed again, unsure of how goblins typically signified a deal.

Ragnok looked at the Earth again wistfully. "What I would give..." He murmured just low enough for Harry to hear.

"Give for?" Harry asked.

Ragnok gave him a strange look before he shook his head. "Just a slip of the tongue Mr. Potter, can you please bring us down to my office so we can begin?"

Harry nodded and they disappeared from the bridge.

* * *

Paradise,

December 5

Late evening

After working out the negotiations Harry was glad that he was finally back home.

"How was it?" Merlin asked from where he was standing, and Harry gave him a roll of the eyes. Was it too much to say hi before asking what had happened?

"It went well. Ragnok, the director of the bank branch said that he was allowed to make that kind of decision, so only he and Sharptooth know about us."

"And the deal...?"

Harry rolled his eyes again. So persistent. "He will allow me to watch and take discrete sensor data of the workers in their forges, along with their spellcasters, in exchange for three times the amount of naquada we gave him before."

Merlin frowned at him, that was a decent amount of naquada...but the potential knowledge that this could bring them would be near priceless... He weighed both options in his mind before he decided that it was worth it.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, I wanted to talk to you about a few things." he said before he started to walk forward, Harry following behind him.

"Well the good things first, I have found a way to increase the factor of the time dilation."

Harry looked at him in surprise. "When did you have time for that?"

Merlin smirked at him. "You know that I need no sleep Harry, surely you didn't think that I would be spending every moment finishing the 'Battleship' design did you?"

Harry grumbled to himself before he realized just what Merlin had said. 'You finished it? Have you started building it yet? What about the multiple shield emitters idea that I came up -"

"Harry!" Merlin shouted and Harry jumped slightly. "Yes, no, and yes."

Harry smiled a bit sheepishly, feeling more than a little silly for his excitement.

"I haven't assigned the constructors to start working on it yet, there were a few things I wanted to talk to you about first." Merlins face turned more neutral as he said this, and Harry didn't know why.

"We need to figure out how to control more than one ship at a time." Merlin said.

Well that was not what he had been expecting. Now that he thought about it though, Harry felt like an idiot for not considering it sooner.

"Is there a way to remotely control them for battle?" Harry asked, remembering the multiple times he had contacted the Hermes for it to do certain things.

"Not if we are the only two that are piloting them." Merlin said and raised his hand before Harry spoke. "Even if your mind was able to handle the strain of completely controlling two ships, and mine ten, we would still not have enough to even come close to matching the goa'uld."

"Then how can we have more of them?" Harry asked disappointedly.

Merlin looked thoughtful. "We would have to create a limited intelligence in the ship computers, one that would be able to coordinate with other ships and be capable of basic avoidance and tactics. It wouldn't be the same as having a living commander on board, but it would be good enough for now."

Harry perked up at that admission and nodded.

"What were the other bad things that you mentioned?"

Merlin sighed. "Well its not actually that bad, but we will need to change the time dilators around the solar cells, it will probably take only a week or so to do so once we upload the changes, and then the time dilation will be roughly one and a half times of what it is now."

"So it would be finished in... eight years instead of twelve?" Harry asked excitedly.

"In theory, yes...but more likely it would be nine years with the time it takes the solar cells to fully charge."

"Then lets go do it!" Harry said excitedly, and Merlin held his shoulder.

"The other thing that has been bothering me is how much you have been slacking off on your exercises." Merlin said sternly, and Harry fought the urge to duck his head in shame. He hadn't meant to do that, he'd just been so distracted with all the other things he was trying to learn and figure out that he hadn't found time to do them.

"But we've been doing so much lately, l don't have any-ouch! What was that for?" Harry cried as he rubbed his head where Merlin had cuffed him.

"You need your exercise, and so do the wizards come to think about it...but for now, I want you to train on the fifth floor; I prepared a room for you to train both your physical capabilities and your telekinetic ones, _without _using your braces or staff."

"But you know how weak my telekinesis is." Harry said in denial, and Merlin shook his head. "All the more reason for you to train without using them."

Merlin started to walk away. "I'll have the Hermes send you there first thing tomorrow morning, so be awake by six."

Something in his tone made Harry think that it would be a bad idea to not do so.

"But where are you going?" He asked, more than a little annoyed with the fact Merlin was forcing him train like this. He hated it when he started treating him like a little kid.

"To install the new time dilators." He replied, before he was beamed up.

Harry stared at where he had been standing before grumbling to himself and heading for his room. If he knew Merlin, this training room would be hell. It would be best to get all the sleep he could.

* * *

December 6

Harry woke up at 5:30 to eat a light meal and warm up, grumbling to himself of how ridiculously early it was to be doing exercise.

At precisely 6:00, he was beamed into a room that was filled with technology, gulping at what looked like plasma turrets hanging along the walls and ceiling. Merlin couldn't be serious could he?

He looked around the room as he walked, wondering just what he was supposed to do when Merlin's image appeared in front of him, making Harry jump.

"I've set up the room to start you off somewhat easily." Merlin said gesturing towards some kind of track. Harry looked at it warily, knowing that there had to be some kind of catch. Nonetheless, he walked towards it, knowing he would catch hell from Merlin if he didn't. He glanced at the ceiling uneasily, and Merlin caught his nervous expression.

"Don't worry, the turrets will not be active for this first session." Merlin told him with a placating smile, and Harry felt slightly reassured. Though he wasn't looking forward to future sessions if those things were going to be active.

"Today you will be working on endurance and avoidance...have fun!" Merlin said before his image left his sight. Sometimes Harry wondered if having a mental connection to him was such a great thing.

Harry stared at the track in front of him. It looked normal, if a bit shinier and polished than one would see on a track on Earth, but there was something about it that was bugging him. And on top of that Merlin hadn't told him how long he was supposed to run. He sighed to himself and performed a few more stretches before he started to jog on the track, picking up some speed as he went on.

There was a surge in his unease but Harry ignored it, trying to keep his breathing and movements under control. It was annoying to realize that Merlin was right and that he _was_ getting out of shape.

Harry had no idea how long he had been running, but his muscles were starting to feel strained. Without warning a section of the track rose up in front of him and Harry felt his muscles tense as he instinctively jumped, telekinetic energy pushing him higher than he had expected and making him land with a roll, panting harshly.

What the hell was that!?

It was then Harry remembered what Merlin had said about "avoidance". He barely held off a groan and started running again, dodging to the left as a section of the track lifted upward. Merlin was absolutely insane.

* * *

The aforementioned Merlin was just finishing up with the changes to be installed on the solar shell when a small alert came to his attention. One of the probes he and Harry had sent out had found an uninhabited planet with a large amount of what appeared to be a highly energetic form of naquada, one that he had not seen before in all his time in Atlantis.

What was odd was how close the planet was to Earth itself, only 21 light years along the Orion-Cygnus arm. It was in the opposite direction of where Paradise was located, which explained why they hadn't noticed it before.

Merlin finished uploading the programming changes to the cells before he directed the Mercury to go to the coordinates of the probe. He had to see this for himself.

* * *

Andrew was sitting at a table with his godfather Remus who was patiently trying to explain the basics of runic magic to him. To be honest though, his mind was completely elsewhere, thinking about what Harry could be doing right now.

After getting over the shock of learning about space travel, Andrew wanted to see more of it, to go flying with Harry and look at other worlds like he had.

Andrew looked up as he saw his brother enter the room at a slow shuffle, covered in sweat and looking incredibly annoyed. Andrew quickly stood up to greet him and Remus nearly threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. He had been trying to get Andrew interested into the subject, but his godson had clearly been distracted.

His expression darkened slightly when he saw Harry. He could understand why the boy didn't want to be near his parents, but Remus thought he was being more than a little childish about the whole thing. James and Lily had made a horrible mistake; but part of growing up was the ability to forget past sins, he certainly had forgiven Sirius for nearly exposing him all those years ago.

It annoyed him that Harry was so reluctant to be around his parents; it hurt James and Lily so much to constantly be rejected by him.

Andrew followed Harry as he stepped in front of the small terminal they had created for food. Harry and Merlin had yet to build a kitchen, mostly because there was no fresh food they could grow. The constructed food tasted the same, but Andrew was certain that there was something missing from it, something that Harry agreed with him on.

"Hey Andrew." Harry smiled tiredly before he ordered a medium plate of fish and vegetables, rubbing his head to stave off the headache. He had used his telekinesis too much without the focusing power of the staff.

"Lo Harry." Andrew smiled back, but he looked over Harry's trembling form worriedly.

Harry must have caught his look because he shook his head. "Don't worry Andrew, Merlin just created a sadistic obstacle course for me."

Now Andrew was intriuged. He had seen how well Harry did compared to him in sparring, what could Merlin have created to make him so exhausted?

Harry collapsed gratefully into his seat, eating a few bites and relishing the cold water as it trickled down his throat.

"What was it?"

Harry held up his finger before he finished drinking from his glass. "I was running at first, don't know how long, but after a while pieces of the track started jumping upwards and I had to jump over them or around them." He snorted. "The first one scared the hell out of me, but after that it was more annoying than anything."

Andrew felt a slight bit of worry creep into his chest. "You think he'll make me do it as well?" He asked tentatively. He doubted he was half as fit as Harry was.

Harry snorted again. "You don't have telekinesis, so you wouldn't be able to make the same kind of jumps and dodges that I could...oh don't look at me like that, you have magic for crying out loud!" He gave a cross look at Andrew for his near pouting expression, and the other boy quickly stopped.

"Anywayy...I think that if you have to use the course then it will be something more suited to you, probably dodging energy blasts from the cannons on the ceiling." He shrugged nonchalantly as he took a bite and hid a smile at Andrew's suddenly fearful look. "Why don't you ask him about it when he gets back from whatever he was doing?"

Harry really had to work hard to suppress his laughter, Andrew looked almost terrified of going into that room now.

"Um thanks Harry, but I...have other things that I have to be doing, Remus was teaching me runes and we're really busy right now."

Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Remus' shoulders shaking silently. Somehow he doubted that Andrew had really been doing that.

"Well have fun with him, and thanks for reminding me...I'll be sure to ask Merlin about it when he gets back." Harry smiled innocently. Before Andrew could try and convince him otherwise, Harry disappeared to his room, making Andrew groan in frustration.

"I'm so dead!" He whimpered melodramatically, and glumly looked at Remus. And to think he had been reluctant to learn about runes!

* * *

December 14

Paradise

"Where have you been?" Harry asked as soon as Merlin disembarked.

"Hello Harry how was your training session?" Merlin asked pleasantly, and Harry glowered at him. "You know full well how it was, now can you please tell me where you were Merlin, come on!"

Merlin smiled at him. "I want to know what you thought of the course first." Oh how much fun it was to tease Harry.

"It was evil and sadistic." Harry stated flatly. "Now where have you been? The thing with the time dilators should have only taken a day at most." He demanded, crossing his arms.

Merlin sighed loudly, as if Harry was greatly bothering him, but smiled nonetheless. He was going to have fun explaining what he had done.

"Well first of all, I was inspecting a very interesting energy signature that one of the probes picked up." He said, pausing.

Harry stared at him, then after thirty seconds of silence finally cracked and asked "Well, what was it?"

"It seemed to be some kind of artificial version of naquada located in a vein of the planet's crust." He said.

"And what's so special about it?"

"If the energy readings that I took were correct, the material has an energy output exponential to that of naquada."

Harry stared at him. "You're saying you found an even more powerful power source than naquada?" He flushed when his voice squeaked, but damn it, if there was a reason to do so, this was it. Naquada generators were ridiculously powerful, something that was exponentially more powerful was near terrifying.

Merlin shifted."Maybe, but something about the readings worries me."

"What?"

Merlin shook his head. "I will not know until the material is collected and tested properly."

He seemed to brighten a moment after that. "And the other thing that took so much time was moving one of the solar cells to a star on the opposite side of the galaxy."

Harry gaped at him this time. 'But I thought..."

"It is possible to drastically increase the size of a hyperspace field around a ship, but it puts great strain on the hyperdrive, the farthest I could go without having to stop was a thousand light years, and that took a little over two hours to cover as opposed to the thirty minutes or so it should have."

"But...how did you go that fast?" Harry stammered. He had thought it would be impossible to do something like that with how large the solar shell was.

"I told you Harry, I had to push the engines far beyond the red line, it took several minutes for the constructors to repair them after each jump."

Harry was still disbelieving, he had not thought it could be possible, but he knew Merlin would not lie or trick him over something like this.

"Unbelieveable." He said to himself, and Merlin smiled. "This sphere will likely finish six months or so after the first one, given the increase in replication speed."

Harry nodded, but his eyes widened as he realized something. "But what about the goa'uld? What if they stumble across it?"

Merlin suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I honestly did not think of that outcome, but I will send the Mercury back to the sun with an extended amount of drone weapons."

"But who will control it?"

"We'll have to write an automatic program first." Merlin said wearily, realizing just what he had done without thinking. Harry must have been influencing him somehow, he was not normally this careless.

"And it would not be a bad idea to start building the first Ares class ship either."

Harry cursed under his breath at Merlin's charging in. He should have at least scouted the area that he was placing the cell in, for all he knew that sun was in the center of some Goa'uld's territory.

* * *

December 25

"Wake up Harry, come on, its Christmas!"

Harry groaned and buried himself deeper into the sheets. Merlin had worked him so hard yesterday; he did not want to get out of bed before ten at the least.

"Come on Harry, get up!"

Andrew was persistent though, and Harry realized he wasn't going to get any sleep while his brother was in his room. With an annoyed thought, he had the transporters beam his brother out of the room and into the cafeteria. It would take his brother a while to get back. Or so he thought.

A few seconds later there was a low popping sound, and Harry groaned as he remembered the house elves were now able to pop themselves around the resort, their internal compasses having reset to Paradise's magnetic poles after a few weeks.

He pushed himself up from the comfortable bed and gave his brother an annoyed glare.

"Oh don't be like that Harry, its Christmas, we've got presents!"

Harry almost snapped that he never celebrated Christmas before he managed to calm himself and get out of bed a little stiffly. He really hated being woken up by someone else.

Reluctantly, he walked with Andrew, heading toward the balcony on the top floor.

He felt exhausted, both from Merlin training and from visiting Joshua's family the night before. Harry had insisted on giving him a small but advanced tablet based off of Earth technology. He had said was the only one of its kind and that his grandfather had designed it for him when he first took him from the Dursleys, and that he no longer had any use for it.

Again, he tried to push down Dan and Helen's protests by saying that it was no big deal. When that didn't work he managed to convince them that it was a useful and sophisticated learning tool, containing the next few years of math and sciences, as well as some basic language lessons in Spanish in French. He did ask them to keep it a secret though, because it was rather advanced compared to the nearest comparable product and he didn't want other companies to start pestering him and his grandfather for the design. In reality he didn't want someone to figure out this was at least ten years beyond even the most experimental computer technology.

What Harry didn't tell them was that it was also keeping tabs on their health, and that it would tell him if something was wrong in the house, like a burglar. On their insistence, he had stayed with them for dinner while Joshua regaled him of the events of his past school year with Dan and Helen adding in their own pieces. Harry had given a few vague descriptions of places he had been with his grandfather, but that had seemed to please them enough.

Harry hadn't made it to Paradise until late last night, which was why he was more than a little annoyed with his brother for waking him up.

* * *

Instead of allowing the wizards to go and chop down a tree, Merlin had taken it upon himself to create a small contained space for a tree in the middle of the porch, where it would be able to, within limits, grow and survive. He then had a small sapling beamed into the room, maturing it with the time dilators, artificial light, and water until it was several years old.

The wizards had conjured various decorations with their wands or retrieved them from their own trunks, though Sirius and James had an argument about the decorations that had to be broken up by their wives and Ted Tonks. Harry found it rather petty of the two grown men.

As it was, this was the first time he had really been in the same room as his parents since they had come here, and he was surprised to see how _tired _they looked, depressed even. For a moment he felt pity. Had he done this to them?

That pity lasted until he saw the unsavory looks James was sending toward Merlin, who was steadily ignoring them. He rolled his eyes and turned away. His birth father was such a immature child.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the Blacks and Merlin were walking up to him together. His eyebrows shot up when he realized Sirius was holding a gift in his hands, a small box wrapped in gold and red.

He looked at Merlin, questioning, but Merlin only smiled as Sirius nervously spoke up.

"Umm...Merlin told me about your staff, and how annoying it is to carry around...so my wife and I thought you might like this." He said before he handed the box over, almost gingerly.

Harry gently touched the wrapping paper, savoring it and wondering why he suddenly felt choked up. The paper looked so beautiful, he didn't want to rip it open like he remembered Dudley doing with his countless birthday presents.

He asked the transporter to take the paper off, watching as it reappeared still in one shape on the ground next to him. He smiled lightly and had it sent to his room, not seeing the confused look cross his godfather's face.

Tenderly, he opened the box, and his eyes widened in surprise at the small cuff not unlike his enhancing ones. With trembling fingers, he touched it and put it around his right wrist, marveling at how light it was.

"Now flick your wrist and think about holding your staff in your hands." Merlin said quietly. Harry did as he asked and was startled when his staff appeared in his hand without being beamed to him. It was like it had been held inside the cuff. He did the same thing while thinking of putting it back inside, and the staff disappeared.

"How..?" He asked, swallowing harshly at the thoughtfulness of the gift. He and Merlin had never really celebrated Christmas before, Merlin because it was not a holiday that he was familiar with, and Harry because he had no good memories associated with the day.

"We have something similar in the wizarding world called a moleskin pouch, it holds many different things and gives you the item you think of when he put your hand in." Carolynn said softly, recognizing the look of wonder and surprise on his face for what it really was.

Harry looked at her eyes, then at Sirius' before he cleared his throat and said "Thank you.", his voice rough.

"You're welcome kiddo." Sirius said, automatically reaching out with his hand to ruffle his hair before he realized what he was doing and stopped, looking at Merlin nervously. Merlin didn't react beyond raising an eyebrow and Sirius relaxed slightly.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Andrew came bounding over, asking Harry what he got. Harry gratefully explained, not knowing how else to thank the Blacks for such a priceless gift. He'd have to make something for them in return at some point.

James stared at his once best friend as he stood over by his son. He had seen Harry's expression when Sirius gave him the gift and it tore him apart to realize that he was part of the reason why he had reacted like that. He had not thought to get his son a gift, thinking that it would only be rejected, and here was Black giving his son one and having it accepted.

He turned his back on the scene clenching his fists. He didn't need to see this.

Now more than ever James cursed himself for agreeing with his wife, things would have been so different if Harry had never been sent away.

* * *

December 31, 1992

Harry watched from the Hermes as the cargo ships arranged themselves in a rough ellipsoid, a veritable horde of constructors flitting between them.

A year ago was the day he had first flown into the stars, and it seemed time had passed both so fast and so slow. So many things had happened the past year: meeting Joshua and Andrew for the first time, corresponding with both of them, actually being able to interact with a _living_ family that treated him as a person. Then the disasters with Quirrel and Andrew being dropped in the forest outside of his school, both of which had terrified him just as much as being discovered by his parents once again.

But now...he was surprised to feel..content, maybe even happy after he had been so miserable and alone for so long.

He was still very unhappy with his parents, but Harry was starting to lose the rabid hatred he had for them last year. He didn't trust them, not at all; but he admitted that his anger at them was childish at best, something he had been trying to get rid of in himself. He didn't want to be a child, children never really had freedom to do what they wanted. Adults always felt that they knew better than a child when in many cases they did not (at least in his opinion and experience)

He felt that he could learn to live with the wizards so long as they treated him the same as they normally gave each other.

With a smile Harry gave the order for the constructors to start, and watched as they swarmed into position, beaming tiny amounts of material from the cargo ships directly into the locations they wanted. Harry moved away from the site in orbit of the moon and saw the flash of the time dilation device taking effect, the constructors now moving in a bizarre fast forward.

The Ares was a far cry from the Hermes and Mercury. At nearly a thousand meters in length, two hundred in width and a hundred fifty in height the rounded wedge-like ship boasted four larger versions of the pulse weapons on each side that could swivel sixty degrees on a ball bearing. This allowed for broadsides of the ten meter wide beams or even allowed them to all point forward, thanks to the shape of the hull. At only a third the length of an Aurora class, her wider proportions allowed her to carry a full 2056 drones with four launch points along the hull as well as a small manufacturing plant for said drones. On top of that, she boasted dozens of energy turrets that mostly functioned as anti-fighter weapons, but could be used against capital ships at full power.

The Ares could easily fit two scouts and a few dozen constructors for repairs in her internal bay, opening from the top of the ship, and had two pairs of shield emitters that would in theory never be depleted so long as he had power, provided by nine much larger versions of the reactors on the Hermes and Mercury.

He had almost named her the Overkill.

With the time dilation technology at low power, she would likely be finished within two weeks instead of nearly a year, a staggeringly small amount of time for her size. Harry found himself wondering if the time dilation technology made things just too easy for him.

Shaking his head, Harry directed the Hermes to beam him back to the planet's surface. Carolynn Black was nearly as good as Lily Potter when it came to Runes and Enchantments, something that the Black's gift to him obviously showed. She had promised to give him a few lessons in how to better use them, and he wasn't going to disappoint her.

* * *

Posted: 7/15/13


	14. Chapter 13

This chapter is a bit longer than what I have normally written, so let me know what you think of the length. Is it too much or should all chapters continue to be this long?

Last Time:

The Ares was a far cry from the Hermes and Mercury. At nearly a thousand meters in length, two hundred in width and a hundred fifty in height the rounded wedge-like ship boasted four larger versions of the pulse weapons on each side that could swivel sixty degrees on a ball bearing. This allowed for broadsides of the ten meter wide beams or even allowed them to all point forward, thanks to the shape of the hull. At only a third the length of an Aurora class, her wider proportions allowed her to carry a full 2056 drones with four launch points along the hull as well as a small manufacturing plant for said drones. On top of that, she boasted dozens of energy turrets that mostly functioned as anti-fighter weapons, but could be used against capital ships at full power.

The Ares could easily fit two scouts and a few dozen constructors for repairs in her internal bay, opening from the top of the ship, and had two pairs of shield emitters that would in theory never be depleted so long as he had power, provided by nine much larger versions of the reactors on the Hermes and Mercury.

He had almost named her the Overkill.

With the time dilation technology at low power, she would likely be finished within two weeks instead of nearly a year, a staggeringly small amount of time for her size. Harry found himself wondering if the time dilation technology made things just too easy for him.

Shaking his head, Harry directed the Hermes to beam him back to the planet's surface. Carolynn Black was nearly as good as Lily Potter when it came to Runes and Enchantments, something that the Black's gift to him obviously showed. She had promised to give him a few lessons in how to better use them, and he wasn't going to disappoint her.

Ch13:

January 15, 1993

Andrew dodged to the right as yet another blue pulse hit where he had been standing.

Harry was right. Even though he had already known this, Andrew was now sure that Merlin was a sadist when it came to training. This was the twelfth time he had used this track since Merlin had started him on it, and he and Harry were only allowed a single day between sessions.

Unlike Harry's track, his was mainly running through a maze of walls and obstacles, some of which were used to dodge attacks from either the ceiling and others to dodge attacks from the walls around him. Adrenaline pumped through his blood with every step, his eyes darting around from all angles to look for incoming stunning blasts.

The course hadn't been so bad in the beginning, mostly seeing how fast he could reach the center(the path was changed every time and depicted by blue lines along the walls). He hadn't been allowed his wand, Merlin said it was a crutch, and that if Harry could learn telekinesis without a focus, he could do the same with his magic. Andrew was certain that he was wrong.

Now, both he and Harry had to run their courses while dodging the blue pulses, which was near impossible for him. Somehow Harry managed to dodge the majority of them, twisting in inhuman ways that could only be possible with his telekinesis. To compensate, the pulses were fired faster and in much greater number for him.

Andrew took a sharp left before his nervous system was overloaded and he collapsed to the ground.

Merlin looked at the log of Andrews progress and nodded. The boy was improving.

* * *

Harry collapsed to the table after he put his tray on its surface. Andrew followed him a moment later, groaning and stretching his limbs as if it would make the weird tingling sensation from his nerves go away.

Harry gratefully reached for his water, draining half of it before he started in on his food, his mind drifting over the things he had to get done.

First on the list was to finish working on the command program with Merlin. Merlin was doing most of the programming, but Harry, along with some help from the historical archives, was trying to come up with situations for the Ares, and eventually other ships, to respond to. There would be a limited AI that would determine the best course of action depending on the choices it had, so it was important for Harry to think up as many scenarios as possible.

At the moment, the ship was only going to be defending the Dyson sphere in orbit of the A class star Merlin chose in the middle of the Scutum-crux arm, approximately the 1.5 times the distance from the galactic core as the first sphere.

Keeping it in one place limited the number of scenarios that they would have to create until they managed to make an AI that would obey them without question. That or when they designed an interface to control their ships remotely without the mental strain.

Merlin was working with the Blacks in a testing room a few floors down, trying to take readings of the 'spells' as they were released and storing their wavelengths. They had yet to synthesize the energy in a specific wavelength, but Merlin was certain that they were making some progress, they had learned to shield their technology from the ambient magic that could short it out.

Andrew slowly ate his food and wiped his forehead, grimacing at the sweat. Thankfully, the showers were only a beaming away, he was going there as soon as his stomach didn't feel like it was going to start eating him. He was getting tired of doing the exercises in the training room so often, and there wasn't many other things to do in this place. Harry had promised to create some kind of entertainment system for him, but with all the other things he was doing with his time it would probably be a while before he even started to design one.

He mentally grumbled into his plate. Why couldn't Harry just take him whenever he went exploring the galaxy?

* * *

January 28

Earth Orbit

Harry was not ashamed to admit he used the Hermes to get away from his brother. Even with all the physical and magical training Andrew was going through, he still managed to get bored somehow, following Harry around like a puppy and begging to do something that wasn't training or in Harry's case researching and designing. He also mentioned several times how much he missed looking at the familiar constellations of Earth, and the Manor in which he grew up in an attempt to get Harry to fly with him again.

Harry could understand why Andrew was feeling homesick, but there was something that kept on telling him that it would be a bad idea to let him go back, even with a disguise. For all he knew the Magical governments were able to track any magical person within their borders. After all, if a noble family was able to do so, how hard would it be for an organization as large as the Ministry of Magic?

Harry beamed himself to Sharptooth's office with the promised naquada, or mithril as the goblins called it, startling the goblin before he realized who Harry was and moved his hand away from the axe it was reaching for.

"I would appreciate it if you would come to my office in a normal way." Sharptooth almost growled, eyes narrowed at him. Harry only smiled, not at all contrite. He thought his account manager needed to loosen up a bit.

He gestured to the hovering crate beside him. "I brought the mithril you asked for." And all at once the irritation disappeared.

Sharptooth came up from his desk as quickly as he could without looking undignified and looked into the crate, his eyes widening slightly at the amount of naquada before him before he managed to clear his expression.

"You have come to examine the metal smithing process then?" He asked somewhat unhappily.

Harry nodded, the hologram around his left cuff fading. "I will only need to be in the same room as them, and I promise not to interfere with their work."

Sharptooth seemed to roll his eyes slightly after recovering from the strange sight of the metal band hidden by the holograms.

"Very well." He said, gesturing toward the crate. "If you follow me, we must go through the lobby, my office is not one of those near the entrance to our city."

Harry nodded and touched the crate with his hand, a soft tone telling him it was ready. Sharptooth gestured toward the door, and Harry went out first, the crate following behind him silently. The murmuring from the other wizards and witches in the lobby grew louder as they reached the door, and Sharptooth pushed the door open before Harry followed him out, the wizards and witches standing giving him a few curious looks, then dismissing him as they carried on with their own business.

* * *

Harry followed Sharptooth down a sloping tunnel after they had passed the offices of the less senior bankers, looking at the carved walls in wonder. If what he was seeing was real, then this had to be some kind of history of the goblin race, beginning with a mysterious figure wreathed in white that was depicted as a god. Harry almost wondered if this god was an ascended or maybe even another wizard, countless years before..

As the carvings went on Harry could see countless battles and wars, some with the wizards and others with their own race. Images of dragons breathing fire on their cities, vast depictions of wealth and weapons...

There was so much detail, nearly on the level of the decorative carvings at Paradise, but when Harry asked he learned that these walls were carved by hand. This was made even more remarkable by the fact that Gringotts had only been in America since a few decades before the American revolutionary war, so all of these great carvings had been made only in two hundred years. Harry wondered what the banks that had started in Europe looked like.

After nearly an hour of walking they reached a heavy stone door at the end of the tunnel with no doorknob he could see. Harry reached out with the sensors, and was surprised at the heavy amount of magical energy surrounding the door, seemingly protective in nature. It would likely take one of the Hermes' pulse weapons to bring down the door.

Sharptooth stepped forward and brought his finger down a small near-unnoticeable line in the center of the doorway. Harry realized that he hadn't even noticed it was there until Sharptooth had touched it and found himself admiring the simple but clever defense.

"Behold Guldvak." Sharptooth said with a mixture of pride and warning in his tone. "Very few humans have even been allowed to see any of our cities, so I expect you to act with dignity and respect the entire time you are here."

Harry nodded his head almost absently, caught up in the beautiful structures the size of cathedrals that seemed to be made of pure crystal; altars and temples to the goblin gods. There were so many goblins... Some moved in the streets along their own business, others haggling with stall-owners and shop-owners in their guttural tongues while even more of them were browsing through the wares for sale.

And there were many wares indeed. Weapons, both bladed and not, were proudly set on display, the ethereal light of magical enchantments showing on most, if not all of them. Wooden and metal crafts like pots and urns were no less accomplished, Harry even saw one store owner allowing prospective customers to try and destroy his wares, none were able to even leave a scratch; such was the power of the enchantments he had used in his work.

Just then Harry realized he had not been recording the data he was supposed to, and turned the scanners on his left cuff up to its full sensitivity. He had been so caught up in the wonder of the place that he'd completely forgot his original reason for being here.

Goblins left and right were giving him and the hovering crate evaluating glances now that he was in the middle of them. Most of them were likely wondering just what he was even doing here, and a few others looked none too happy to even see that he was there. Harry hid his nervousness though, and continued to follow his bank manager toward the sound of metal and hammers.

They reached a series of small buildings made of stone, each with what looked to be a clan symbol on the door with some kind of ranking on the side. Below that there was a string of characters that Harry guessed was the name of the goblin.

Sharptooth knocked twice before waiting a moment and opening the doorway.

"This is Longsnout, one of the most accomplished blacksmiths under our employ." Sharptooth gestured toward the goblin currently bent over a piece of metal, who did not make a sound of acknowledgement until he finished the series of blows, chanting lowly in his language. Harry slowly turned around to see what he was making, and noted a sizeable chunk of the naquada block he had given to the Goblin nation was sitting in a bucket, waiting to be used.

Harry could see tiny tendrils of energy flowing over the short sword with every stroke, the edges of the sword becoming far denser and sharper than normal with the magical energy forcing their structures to change. The fuller was different, being treated to an energy that strengthened the bonds, but also left them at the same distance so the sword would not snap under the strain of repeated blows. It was absolutely fascinating, and Harry could see now just why Merlin was so impressed. Seeing the process through the sensors really emphasized just what the goblin was doing to the metal.

Eventually, Longsnout put down his hammer and dipped the sword into a vat of something that was not water, but the sword quickly lost the red glow from the heat, and it was then that Harry realized the absence of heat in the forge. Probably some kind of magical ward?

He gave Harry an evaluating look, his eyes fixed on his face in particular and frowning. "He is not a wizard, but he is not quite a squib either..." His eyes were fixed to the hidden cuffs, especially the one containing his staff, and Harry sighed before he disabled the hologram.

He flicked his right wrist and the staff appeared in his hand. He bowed his head before holding the staff out to the elder goblin respectfully.

Longsnout picked the staff up from his hands and held it, feeling the balance and frowning at the strange materials he could not identify. But he could most certainly see that this staff had a core of mythril, and was both a focus and an amplifier. He held it out again, grudgingly impressed with its power and balance.

Harry lifted the staff from the goblin's hands with his telekinesis, enjoying the brief look of surprise before he flicked his wrist and the staff disappeared back into the cuff.

The goblin quickly composed himself though, shooting Harry an unreadable look at the ability.

Eventually, the staring ended and the goblin continued on as if nothing had happened.

"I was told that you wanted to observe my work?" Longsnout asked, looking directly at Harry's eyes. Harry did not react, he only looked back into the goblins eyes as if he were an elder, like Merlin; someone to be respected. After all, to be a senior blacksmith must have involved a lot of work and talent.

"Yes, I was hoping to learn just how your enchantments worked, so that I might one day be good enough to do the same." Harry answered, keeping a neutral tone to his voice.

Longsnout gave a meaningful look to the floating crate before he said. "And what will the Goblin Nation be receiving in return for our knowledge?"

Harry looked at Sharptooth, wondering if he hadn't explained, then realizing it was some kind of test.

"I am offering all the unbound mithril in this crate for the knowledge I will seek in the next two days." He answered, and was gratified by the small pleased glint in Longsnout's eye.

"Knowledge is priceless, but your offering for it is a very high one indeed." Longsnout said, holding his chin thoughtfully. "You may stay, so long as you try not to interrupt too often."

Harry gave his agreement and Longsnout made an approving sound, turning back to the metal bucket and preparing his forge for his next commission.

* * *

Same day

Paradise

"How many times are you going to ask me to do this?" Sirius half grumbled, half whined in Merlin's direction.

Merlin refrained from snapping at the man and replied. "Until I have enough information on what you are actually doing when you cast your spells...Now, Again!"

Sirius grumbled under his breath but obediently cast another stunner at the target so generously provided to him, giving Merlin a dirty look after he did so.

Merlin didn't notice though, too busy trying to capture every single part of the energy signature in the hope that it would help him recreate the technology on his own. He was very close to just sticking Sirius into a healing bed and taking as many invasive scans as possible.

He knew the wands were focuses, but scanning them had provided no real clue into the biological processes behind the 'casting' of magic.

"Have you found anything yet?" He heard Sirius whine again and barely refrained from beaming the man into the infirmary. If he knew anything about this man it was that he hated to be staying in the same place for any length of time, a quality that was not helpful when he was the one being tested. None of the other wizards or witches wanted to continue helping him with this, not even Carolynn who had been so helpful in the beginning. So unfortunately, he was stuck with the irritating man for now.

He would have gladly asked Andrew, if it wasn't for the fact his body was much younger and thus had less power than an adult. That and the fact he was already tired from the training exercises Merlin kept on running him through.

"No, we are not done...the spells are not giving me anything on how you are recreating the energy." Merlin growled out, frustrated.

"Then what will?" Sirius demanded. He was tired of being a damn lab rat, how Andrew had talked him into doing this he had no idea.

"Well, a full body scan might." Merlin replied sarcastically, not once looking from the screen. Now this was interesting, that same horomone was being secreted from the man's brain every time Sirius cast a spell. But a horomone couldn't be the only thing that differentiated between spells, there had to be something different for them to have such varied effects.

"Cast the stunning spell, a completely different spell from that, and another stunning spell!" He commanded, and Sirius crossed his arms. "Its not going to make a difference, we've been trying this for hours!" He complained.

"Just...do this for me one more time, and I will let you go do whatever it is you need to do!" Merlin said distractedly, calibrating the scanners now that he knew what he was looking for.

Sirius almost refused, but something about the way Merlin was suddenly scrambling to do something made him think he was actually on to something.

"Fine." He grumbled, then cast the spells at the target, taking a few seconds inbetween each one as Merlin had asked him before.

Merlin looked at the incoming data and had the computer find the mental and horomonal differences between the first spell and the second, then compare those results to the difference between the second and third. He barely even noticed when the wizard left the room, too intent on the results to care.

The machine beeped and Merlin quickly went over the information. If it were not so undignified, he would have danced a jig at finally getting the results he wanted. The horomone signature was nearly the same, but the mental signal that interacted with the horomone was completely different; this had to be what caused the difference in the spells.

He wasn't sure, but if this was true, the more powerful spells that required more of the 'magical core' were likely requiring more of this horomone instead, so there was some kind of finite capacity of the horomone that determined how much power went into the spell.

"Fascinating." Merlin whispered, and he commanded the machine to analyze the composition of the horomone and the mental signal for replication. He was getting so close!

* * *

January 29

After observing Longsnout the day before, Harry was now looking at the various stalls in the city centre without Sharptooth, who been recalled back into his office for a meeting with another client.

Longsnout had been surprisingly accommodating for him, giving him a stool to sit on and answering the majority of the questions he asked.

It turned out that the goblins, but especially Longsnout, were surprisingly picky about the minerals they used. Only two thirds of the naquada that he had provided them with before was considered good enough to be used for weapons, the other third was taken away and refined into bars for _inferior_ work. Longsnout's words, not his own.

Of course, for him and Merlin the purity of a metal didn't really matter, not when they were arranging their alloys and building their technology molecule by molecule.

Longsnout had shown him various pieces that he had worked on and kept, as well as the other things he was working on for different clients, now that he had the metal and experience to make the things they needed. Harry's personal favorite was a shield forged to withstand all but the most powerful magical spells, allowing the energy to dissipate across its surface and into the air itself.

It was after he started walking further into the shopping district that Harry felt the sense of hostility rising, and took a slow glance around him. It seemed he was getting into the goblin equivalent of the slums, many of the younger goblins had a distinctively mean look to them, far more than what he was used to. Maybe this wasn't the best place for him to explore, even if there were some good crafters further ahead.

He started to walk away, keeping the fear away from his expression, but the prickling at the edge of his senses would not go away. If anything it was just getting worse.

He dodged to the side just to see an ax go flying past where his head would have been. Whirling around, he saw another coming at him and flung his telekinesis forward, barely deflecting the ax from its path.

"What is a _human_ doing down here?"

The voice sounded young, male, and judging by the pair of axes thrown at his head, was very aggressive.

Harry held his hands wide. "I offered a trade with my Bank manager, and he allowed me to visit the city, it is not what I expected." He meant it as a complement, but the deepening scowl on the goblin's face said that it wasn't interpreted that way.

The goblin in front of him was shorter than Sharptooth, but his muscles were larger and more developed. A series of axes hung in a belt around his waist, along with a sword worn on his left hip. He looked younger as well, maybe a teenager or young adult?

"Humans never come down here." The goblin growled again as he took a step forward. "You're lyin'!"

Harry held back his irritation, the last thing he wanted to do was make this goblin even more aggressive.

"I brought them mithril f-" Harry dodged to the right as another axe flew past him and glared at the goblin.

"I don't know what you're problem is, but I haven't done anything to you!" Harry growled, fed up.

The young goblin laughed, drawing his sword. "You're a wizard, that's what you've done! Because of you snotty wizards my father lost 'is job! He can't even mine cause we're only allowed to right under t' banks! He can't feed the goblings 'cause we don't have enough food for 'em!" He ranted, his eyes gleaming with madness as he waved his sword around for emphasis.

Maybe he did have a good reason for hating wizards, but that didn't mean Harry was going to let him kill him for being something he wasn't. And wasn't it ironic the one time he was considered to be a magical was when someone wanted to kill him for it?

"I am not a wizard, I'm a squib." Harry said, holding his ground but keeping his legs loose and ready.

"Still wizard born." the goblin grinned maniacally, before he charged forward with his sword held high.

Harry flicked his wrist and his staff appeared in his hand just in time for him to block a downward strike. The sword clanged against the trinium alloy protecting his staff, the goblin stumbling slightly at Harry's unexpected block. Given Harry's age, Harry would be more than able to block the goblin's lower strikes, their heights were not too far apart.

Harry took a step back, holding the staff in both hands. "I do not want to fight you." He said, hoping for the goblin to stop.

His words did nothing but enrage his opponent, and he leapt forward with a snarl. Harry blocked the furious series of blows, for once glad that Merlin had put him through his hellish training. He did not attack back though, keeping on the defensive in case someone else could come and stop this mess.

His mind gave him a sharp warning, and he twisted his arm out of the way, a thin line of blood coming on his arm from a small blade held in the goblin's weak hand. It wasn't deep, and there was no poison, thankfully.

Pain and fury surged through him and Harry focused his power through the staff, flinging the goblin away from him and into the nearest building, hard. That was a dirty trick, he had no issues with paying one of those in kind.

Harry touched his arm with his other hand, feeling the blood on his fingers and wishing that he had the healing touch. He looked at the stunned goblin in anger and turned around, blatantly showing his back in disrespect.

He was done here.

* * *

Later that day,

Paradise

Harry was in a foul mood when he beamed down to the surface, even with his arm completely healed by the ship.

After the _altercation_ in the city, Harry had explained to Sharptooth just what had happened down there, worried that he would get in trouble for fighting. Thankfully, he had been a guest of the city, and as he only acted in self defense, and had a cut on his arm to prove he was attacked, he would not be punished.

Despite being attacked Harry asked that the punishment not be too harsh. Even if Merlin called him a sentimental fool, he thought that his attacker had enough problems without him causing more.

He asked Sharptooth about the accusations made against the wizards, and while some of them were exaggerated, the stark reality of the Goblin's situation made him furious. Wizards had them run the banks and yet they were still treated like second class citizens, restricted in where they could go and what they could do like animals.

Now he understood what Ragnok had meant all those months ago. The prospect of being able to travel the stars, to find their own planet where no one could limit them or treat them in such a way must seem like a paradise to a goblin.

Merlin beamed himself in front of Harry as soon as he arrived, the warm expression on his face disappearing at Harry's stormy expression.

"What happened?"

Harry burst out into speech, ranting about the goblin that attacked him and the horrible treatment that the goblins were given by the wizards, and finally asking what they could do to help them.

Merlin's eyebrow rose. "Harry, I hope you are not suggesting what I think you are..."

"Why not?" Harry demanded. "The goblins don't deserve to be treated this way, they're like slaves to the wizards, being stuck in reservation camps!

Merlin closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Harry wasn't seeing the bigger picture.

"Lets just assume that they would even want to leave behind everything they have ever known; what would happen to the rest of the wizarding world if they disappeared?"

Harry shrugged. "They would have to take care of their own money..so what?"

Merlin couldn't believe how shortsighted his student was being. "The goblins are the sole financial power in the wizarding world, regulating the prices and minting of money."

"So?" It seemed Harry was going to be stubborn about this.

"So, if there is no one controlling how much money is being printed and where it goes, then the wizarding world will go into chaos, their financial markets will be ruined!"

"Nothing that they don't deserve." Harry muttered mulishly.

Merlin took a deep breath, asking for patience.

"Harry, first of all, the oppression of the goblins is due to the actions of the wizards in power, not the common people."

"The 'common people' don't treat them that nicely either." Harry snarked back.

"Yes, because that is all they have ever known and been taught by those in power Harry, that is propaganda at its finest." Merlin replied, his eyes rolling at the end of his sentence.

"Why are you taking their side!" Harry demanded. "I thought you hated what they have become?"

"I do." Merlin affirmed. "But I also fear the repercussions of the wizards losing their economic stability on the rest of the world."

That cooled Harry's anger a bit. "What do you mean?"

"The wizards have abilities that could allow them to steal anything, if they were desperate enough." Merlin said. "If they lost all of their economic stability, those in power would likely try and find a scapegoat."

"Non-magicals." Harry murmured.

"Exactly." Merlin whispered sadly. Even if it didn't make a lick of sense, Earth's history showed all too clearly how innocents could be hated for no other reason than they were different.

Harry didn't know what to say. Merlin's argument was sound, and the dislike that the wizards in power had for non-magicals was obvious.

It was better in America, but there was still a mentality that wizards were better off being completely separate from the nonmagicals. If their own lives were affected, then there was no telling just what they would do to 'take back what was rightfully theirs'.

Harry slumped, realizing that there was nothing he could do without making the situation worse.

"Its not fair." He sighed.

Merlin gave him a sad smile. 'When is life ever fair to us Harry?

* * *

February 12

Harry tried to stay upset at the situation with the goblins, but there was so many things that were going on.

Merlin had found the link between mind and magic, and they were now, unsuccessfully so far, attempting to replicate the same process that a magical's body went through when they cast magic.

Merlin had created a dummy not unlike mannequin found in a shopping mall, but this one was designed with the same horomone secretion glands and basic chemical reactions of a human body.

Merlin's theory was that it was best to try and replicate the same conditions until they knew exactly what was going on in the body when magic was cast. Sirius was refusing to be a test dummy for a while though, saying he had been magically exhausted for days after Merlin's discovery.

It was just so frustrating!

They were so much closer to replicating the energy field that Sirius had shown them, but it was becoming more and more tempting to cheat and use the runes instead of understanding the fundamentals of the energy. The only problem with runes was that until they knew how the energy signature was implanted (Harry himself had tried it), they would need to physically carve every rune on their ships, which was downright impossible.

Harry was almost grateful for the heavy beeping sound that was coming through the network, until he realized it was coming from the Ares. The long range sensors had detected a small fleet of four ships was approaching the second sphere (Beta sphere) from Hyperspace. Their trajectory showed no other possible location, as the system Merlin chose had been fairly isolated within the galactic arm.

Harry had himself beamed to the Hermes and he felt more than heard Merlin do the same with the Mercury. They had not been building ships other than the cargo ships, and those had very little weaponry.

He had the constructors that had been working on the moon start building another Ares class with the time dilators powered up to maximum, hating the wastefulness but having no choice. Given the complexity of the ship, it would take at least four hours for it to be completed, but with the speed of the hyperdrive it would only take another hour at the most for the ship to arrive. The other ships, while nowhere near as advanced, would be arriving at the sphere in less than six hours so long as their speed remained constant. It would be close.

As soon as he finished directing the constructors Harry ordered the Hermes to enter hyperspace.

* * *

Beta sphere

Five and a half hours later

Harry watched in trepidation as the hyperspace window opened twenty five million miles away from the sun.

He didn't doubt that the Ares could take out four Goa'uld ships. No race, not even the Asgard back at the height of the Lantean Civilization could withstand the drones that were on his ship. And even then the Asgard had been far more advanced that the Goa'uld.

No, Harry was worried that he would be forced to destroy the ships, that he'd have to kill these people when they were so hilariously outgunned. He was worried that if these ships did not return then more would come, and his ships would be forced to destroy them to protect the sphere that had barely begun construction.

Those fears quickly turned to confusion when the sensors registered the configuration of the ships as being completely different to a Goa'uld, looking somewhat similar to the Hermes in size and shape. They were rounded with ion based engines on the rear of their ships, a blunt fin reaching up above the center of the hull. They also had weaponry that appeared to superior to that of the Goa'uld, and their shields were also more powerful, but Harry doubted they were anywhere near powerful enough to stop drones.

He had ordered the Ares into standby a minute before the ships were projected to leave hyperspace, so it was almost amusing to see the ships nearly skid to a halt when the kilometer long ship registered on their sensors, all eight pulse weapons charged and drone launchers open. The Hermes and Mercury were currently under cloak, and the second Ares class ship was only fifteen minutes away in hyperspace.

A long minute passed before a wide band transmission was sent out from the leading ship, this one nearly a third bigger than the others escorting it.

Harry asked Merlin to accept the call, and listened in. Harry had no experience in dealing with other military people, so Merlin would have to act as the leader of the Lantean people until Harry was old and experienced enough to assume the position.

A strange face appeared on the screen, one that looked half reptilian and half human. "This is Garath of the Hebridanian Fleet, to who am I speaking?" He showed no fear at all of the weapons currently pointed at his ships, and Harry felt a bit of respect for him for that.

"My name is Moros Emrys, Captain of the Lantean fleet ship Ares." Merlin said, his image showing only him and the control chair. He had changed his appearance for this encounter, feeling as if his usual look would not be as impressive. So instead of the long beard his face was devoid of hair, his eyes sharp and cold and looking every bit the High Councilor Moros he once was.

The other captain seemed contemplative for a moment, as if unsure what to say, before he straightened subtly and asked. "I have not heard of your race, may I ask what your business is in this system?"

"We have begun construction of a station in orbit around this system's sun; there were no other civilizations that were in range of our sensors, so we assumed that there was not any claim on this system." Merlin sounded pleasant, but there was something in his tone that almost sounded like a threat.

Apparently the captain of the other ship realized that as well, the shifting of his body was more than obvious to Harry's sharp eyes. "No, there is no such claim, this was only an investigation into something that was not ours, we wanted to make sure that this was not some kind of Goa'uld trick."

"So you do know of the Goa'uld." Merlin commented. "I assume you are having no trouble with them?"

The captain hesitated before he said. "No, we removed them from our home planet of Hebridan to free the humans that were brought there as slaves; we have been living in peace with these humans ever since."

Merlin frowned subtly. He did not recognize this species at all, and it seemed a Goa'uld had risked the distance from the other stargates to settle down in this part of the galaxy. If this was true, were there other advanced races outside of the influence of the gates and the Goa'uld? Space _was _vast after all.

Merlin made a small gesture in the control chair when in reality he sent a mental signal to the Ares. All but two of the cannons powered down, he still wasn't sure of this races' intentions.

The captain looked somewhat relieved at that. "As we were not expecting to meet an Alien race, I would be honored to invite you back to our home world."

Merlin looked surprised for a moment. "That is very...trusting of you; my grandson and I will do our best to deserve that trust while in your presence."

Harry took the cue for what it was and decloaked the Hermes. Merlin did the same with the Mercury. Harry was greatly amused by the open shock in the aliens expression. Maybe their sensors were powerful enough to detect cloaked Goa'uld, but nothing but another Lantean vessel could detect a scout ship.

So what if he was being a bit smug, it was true!

Merlin sent a command back to the Ares and it accelerated rapidly back toward the sun. The speed of its departure was surprising considering its size. He then beamed himself over to the Hermes and sent the Mercury back to Paradise, the second Ares class ship would be here in a few minutes and he felt more secure knowing their most powerful ships were guarding the beta sphere.

"I am sending over the coordinates now." The captain said, before a string of data was received by the sensors.

Merlin had the ship check the string for anything suspicious before he checked the coordinates against the database. There were no rogue black holes or any other such phenomenon in that location, it was safe enough.

A few moments later the Hebridinian ships jumped into Hyperspace, the Hermes rapidly following them.

* * *

February 26

Paradise

Two weeks after their visit to Hebridan found Merlin and Harry watching a test of the naquadria brought back from the planet 21 light years away from Earth.

Merlin hadn't given up on the magic replication, but he did feel that they had hit some kind of road block with the process, and so he had decided to leave the project until he could have more physical data from the wizards to figure it out.

Visiting Hebridan had been an interesting experience, the civilization was very advanced compared to Earth, and what Garath had said about his species and Humans living together was completely true. Merlin had told Harry to not let anything slip about their level of technology, the cloaking thing was bad enough. It would be better if this race did not know anything about their capabilities, in case they ever became hostile.

Still, seeing the flying trains and the thousands of ships crowding the airspace around the planet had been a humbling experience.

Back in the lab, Merlin carefully increased the power pushed through the naquadria by a thousandth of a percent at a time. From what their scans indicated, the material was incredibly unstable, so much that Merlin wondered if they would ever be able to find some use for it.

Harry was hoping that their research on Magic would eventually allow them to use the naquadria without it destabilizing, but with the block on their progress, he felt it would be some time before they were able to do that.

* * *

March 3,

Lakeland Florida

This was the second time in what Harry was hoping would be a regular tradition for him, and he brought a medium set of Legos, knowing that Joshua was now turning eight and that he'd probably enjoy them. He smiled at Helen as she opened the door, asking her how things were going nearly a year after Hurricane Andrew had struck the southeastern United States. The family hadn't seemed too rattled when he last saw them, but Harry knew the damage had been quite bad, especially in the southern regions of Florida.

"Harry!" He heard the shout and braced himself for the brunette missile that hit him only a few seconds later. He did manage to keep standing though, so it was an improvement from the last time he received a flying tackle.

"Hey Joshy, Happy Birthday." He teased, and smiled openly as Joshua smacked his arm in retaliation. He let the boy down, and smiled wider with the scowl. Oh how easy it was to tease him.

The scowl disappeared as Joshua saw the box that was laying on the ground, dropped when Harry heard his voice. "Ooh, what is it Harry? What is it?"

Harry grabbed the box before Joshua could start rattling it around. "Now that would be telling Joshua, you'll have to wait until after your cake." He said, ruffling the boy's hair and dodging the swat that came back from it.

Helen cleared her throat and Harry looked back at her, surprised that he had forgotten she was there. It was like every time he was here Joshua held all of his attention.

"Why don't you go put that with the rest of your presents Joshua?" She asked, and the boy nodded eagerly before running off with the blue and green present in his hands.

She turned to him and held out a piece of paper. He looked it over, recognizing a report card, and was briefly surprised at the straight A+'s that went down it.

He looked at her questioningly.

"I'll be the first to admit that the schools here aren't the best in the world.." Helen shrugged.

"But this is not his normal grades?" Harry finished for her.

She shook her head. "No, he had trouble focusing and listening to the teachers, but that tablet you gave him...its helped him so much!"

Harry felt a bit embarrassed at the gratitude in her eyes. "I just wanted to get him something useful, its not that big a deal."

She shook her head. "You don't understand Harry, its like he's suddenly three times smarter than he used to be, more observant to the point that if it wasn't impossible I'd think he had precognition or something!"

She laughed again and Harry forced a smile onto his face, his body suddenly feeling cold. He was glad when the doorbell rang again and Helen left to greet the guests; he took the opportunity to walk away and lock himself in the bathroom.

It couldn't be possible, she had to be exaggerating...

Nervously, he sent a request for the ship to look over the DNA work recorded by Joshua's tablet.

The ship sent the information back to him almost immediately, and Harry slumped against the wall when it told him Joshua had the Lantean Gene. How had he not noticed this before? Was this the only reason that he felt so happy around Joshua? Because some part of his brain recognized the boy as one of his own species?

If that wasn't bad enough, the ship had noticed some growth in the boy's brain activity, the rate of change increasing on the same exact days as his visits.

As absurd as it sounded, somehow; Harry was turning Joshua into a Lantean.

Harry suddenly felt like he was going to throw up.

* * *

Later that day

Paradise

Harry knew he was pale, so it was no surprise that when Merlin greeted him he looked worried.

"I...don't..know how to say this." Harry whispered painfully.

"Is it something about Joshua? Did something happen to him?" Merlin asked.

Harry shrugged helplessly. "Yes and no...how do I say this...I think I'm turning him into a Lantean!"

Merlin gave him a _very _skeptical look. "Harry, you cannot just _turn_ someone into a Lantean, they have to be one already."

"He has the Lantean gene; I think he had it before I met him." Harry clenched his jaw. "Was that why I felt so calm around him?"

Merlin looked doubtful. "I do not know Harry, this kind of thing never happened during my lifetime."

Harry beamed a chair from his room behind him and sat down heavily. "Could my telepathy have done something, unlocked his potential somehow?"

Merlin shook his head, then slowly nodded. "To be honest, you having been born magical before this Voldemort character attacked you and your brother complicates things a bit. I already knew that your Lantean heritage was strengthened by the remnants of your magic, but I would have not guessed this kind of thing could happen."

Harry let out a frustrated sound.

"Whats going to happen now?" He asked. "I feel so guilty, like I took advantage of him and hurt him." harry clenched his fists, pushing away the tears that wanted to come out. He felt sick to his stomach, hating himself and wishing he had never met Joshua to have done this to him.

"Harry..." He heard, then felt Merlin's finger touch his cheek, drying off the tear that he hadn't noticed was there.

"What am I going to do?" He asked plaintively.

"Do you care about the boy?" Merlin asked him softly.

"I don't know, its just my messed up head saying-"

"Harry!; Do you care about what happens to him?" Merlin interrupted a bit harshly. He needed to get Harry out of this self pitying and hating mood, it wasn't helping at all.

"Of course I do." Harry murmured indignantly, but there was no bite to his tone, only hopelessness. He viewed Joshua as the little brother he never had, he didn't want to leave him. But he was terrified of what he had been doing unconsciously affecting the boy badly.

"Then you will act as if everything is the same as it always was. _If_ Joshua does develop Lantean abilities, then you can start worrying, alright?" Merlin asked, his tone a bit more kind than before.

Harry gave him a watery smile in thanks before he beamed up to his room. He just wanted to fall asleep and forget about this until tomorrow.

* * *

March 25

Hogwarts

If a student were to see Dumbledore at the moment, they would have been very surprised to see that he was desperately conducting a powerful blood ritual, one that was outlawed long before the majority of other bloodmagics for its use in breaking down wards and protections. The portraits had reported the Weasley girl going into the bathroom, and Myrtle had been oh so helpful in telling him which sink she had used to access the chamber.

He cursed himself for not seeing it sooner, the wards had never told him of any dark artifacts within them, but the sudden attacks were not something a first year could hope to accomplish, and he had been watching Lockhart from day one, not wanting the man to use his sole talent and loose them a student. Possession had been the only option, and he had failed to see it until now.

The ritual was a little draining, but he could not rest, as soon as the door, he called upon Fawkes and had the phoenix flash him down to the chamber. He could not let Voldemort (after all, he had opened the chamber before, even if Dumbledore hadn't had the proof at the time) finish whatever horrible plan he had put in place to bring himself back to life, no matter the cost.

He hid a wince at the crunch of bones under his feet and lit his wand, heading toward the doorway, ornately carved by magic.

The door was grimy and old, but the carved snakes still managed to look menacing, their gem-like eyes flashing in the light.

"Can you get us around?" He queried, and Fawkes gave an affirmative chirp before they were flashed into the inner chamber. Carved statues of snakes were placed on either side of the pathway, the massive face of Slytherin glaring at him from the opposite end of the room.

But as he came closer, he could discern a small figure laying on the ground, a shock of red hair fanned around her pale face. Ginny Weasley. Hope and fear warred within him as he ran over to her, hoping he was not too late to stop the process.

His face felt lighter as he realized she was still alive, her chest moving faintly. But where was...

"Ah Professor Dumbledore, I was not expecting you so soon."

Albus felt a trickle of fear crawl down his spine at the familiar voice, smooth and seductive as he remembered from so long ago. Tom Riddle.

He stood up slowly, facing the student that he should have expelled long ago, should have known would turn into the darkest wizard of the century.

"Hello Tom." He said softly, but not unfirmly either.

The sixteen year old apparition sneered at him, twirling Ginny Weasley's wand between its fingers.

"I was wondering if you would solve the clues I left out for you." He said contemptuously, as if he thought Dumbledore too stupid to have found out.

Dumbledore did not react to the slight besides standing taller, his wand at the ready in a classic dueling stance. Voldemort was known for his distracting opponents with threats and insults, causing them to lose their tempers and attack recklessly.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Fawkes grab onto the still Weasley girl and flash away. Hopefully Poppy would be able to save her from her fate.

"You want to fight me Dumbledore? Even while this girl's very life and magic are at stake?" Riddle asked with faux incredulousness, before he noticed that said girl had disappeared and his eyes narrowed. He held the wand up, angry at losing his prey.

"For the greater good, you must not be allowed to return!" Dumbledore said softly, before he cast the first spell, a javelin of white light flying at the Riddle apparition. Riddle dodged to the side, his eyes narrowed at the exorcism spell, before he sent a dark blasting curse back at his opponent, then a series of piercing spells designed against shields.

As he expected, Dumbledore blocked the first curse with a shield, but he didn't expect Dumbledore to conjure several iron blocks in the paths of his spells, absorbing them, before he fired a flurry of disarming spells, stunners, anything he could use to distract the young dark lord.

Riddle dodged and shielded as best he could, firing several spells back and not even bothering to counter some of the more wildly thrown spells. What he didn't know was that those spells were in fact rune carving spells, designed to carve statues and other tall objects that a wizard would normally not be able to reach. Dumbledore was trying to contain him.

Riddle's shield shrugged off yet another volley of spells and he smirked as Dumbledore seemed to be panting. "Tired already old man? I should have known that fighting you would be this easy!"

Dumbledore finished the runic pentagon encircling his former student, and said. "Are you so certain of that?" Before he activated the spirit containment ward.

Riddle's condescending expression turned to anger and fear as he realized he had been set up, and he did the only thing he could. _Come to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four. _

With a low grinding sound, the statue's mouth opened, and Dumbledore watched as a dark mass slid from the hole, hissing loudly. This was Slytherin's monster, a Basilisk.

Hurriedly, Dumbledore tied the containment ward into the magic of Hogwarts herself, knowing he could not afford to fight both Riddle and the Basilisk at once. A muttered spell modified the lenses of his glasses, hopefully it would be enough to save him from the basilisk's deadly gaze.

And a second spell conjured a rooster, which looked directly at the Basilisk and dropped before it could let off its crow.

The beast was rapidly growing too close for comfort, so with a wave of his wand the carved statues of snakes were animated and directed against the beast, coiling around it and snapping with stone jaws that failed to pierce the basilisk's hide.

With a loud hiss, the Basilisk wound itself around those that _dared _to attack it, grinding several of them into pieces within its coils.

Dumbledore wasn't idle though; as soon as the majority of the statues had been animated, he blasted more of them apart and started transfiguring them into metal spears, waiting for the right moment.

The Basilisk finished off the last animate statue, turning to face the elder wizard, when its vision was destroyed by a flock of conjured arrows. It writhed in pain, body sweeping across the chamber floor, and would have surely crushed Ms Weasley if she had still been in the chamber.

Dumbledore did not care for its pain at the moment though, instead jabbing his wand forward at the basilisk's head, releasing a cannonblast that reverberated against the walls and floor. The snake leaped forward, trying to crush its prey in its jaws, but was stopped by the quartet of javelins that pierced through its mouth and into its brain.

With a resounding crash, the snake fell to the ground, and Riddle's disbelieved shriek rang through the chamber as he redoubled his efforts to escape his prison.

Dumbledore leveled his wand at Riddle, moving forward. "Goodbye Tom." He intoned, and the white light pierced Tom Riddle through what would have been his heart.

With a scream, Riddle disappeared, and in the Hospital Wing, Ginny Weasley's back arched before she went into seizure, a panicked Poppy Pomphrey pouring potions down her throat in an effort to save her.

A near ten minutes later, the girl was stable, but as Poppy cast a final diagnostic charm tears sprung to her eyes.

Ginny Weasley was now a squib.

* * *

Authors Note: Well, that one took a while to write, sorry about that; I just finished my summer course in Microeconomics on the 30th so I haven't had as much time as I'd like to work on this.

According to the HP lexicon, Ginny Weasley went into the chamber on the 29th of May, but Andrew leaving Hogwarts sped up the timetable, because he is thought to be dead after the events in the forbidden forest and so Riddle thought it would be better to further crush the hopes of the students.

I know people won't be happy about Ginny being squibbed, but to be honest it was either that or she died along with riddle; I like it this way better. And yes, there is a reason for her being squibbed, but just like with Joshua, it will be a while before that reason is shown.

Finally, there were people asking about the relationship between Harry and his parents improving. I didn't get to that in this chapter, but the next one will likely cover what would have been Andrew's third year, so I'll try and develop the characters better in that chapter.

Well, thats it for now, thanks for reading.

Posted: 7/31/13


	15. Chapter 14

I was never going to do a pairing with Harry anyway, but it was very amusing to see how many people were so against Ginny having a relationship with Harry. As of right now, I don't think she will be joining the lanteans, but she will be a part of the story in some way.

One of the things that really annoys me about the Stargate series is that nearly every race or planet either speaks goa'uld or English, and sometimes Latin in the guise of the language of the ancients. So, Harry will at some point in the future add an extra touch to the stargates not under Goa'uld control, a translator device that interprets the words said in real time and sends their equivalent meanings to the brain so that the person listening thinks it is their own language. He does this in late 1996. This device is out of phase, like Arthur's mantle, and remains on the planet in which it is left after the visitors go through the gate.

Last chapter:

"Do you care about the boy?" Merlin asked him softly.

"I don't know, its just my messed up head saying-"

"Harry!; Do you care about what happens to him?" Merlin interrupted a bit harshly. He needed to get Harry out of this self pitying mood, it wasn't helping at all.

"Of course I do." Harry murmured indignantly, but there was no bite to his tone, only hopelessness. He viewed Joshua as the little brother he never had, he didn't want to leave him.

"Then you will act as if everything is the same as it always was. _If_ Joshua does develop Lantean abilities, then you can start worrying, alright?" Merlin asked, his tone a bit more kind than before.

Harry gave him a watery smile in thanks before he beamed up to his room. He just wanted to fall asleep and forget about this until tomorrow.

Ch14:

July 12, 1993

Paradise

Harry stared at the fragmented target in disbelief and rising excitement. It had finally worked!

Sirius was standing next to him, open mouthed at the machine that had apparently cast a perfect reducto. A muggle machine had just cast a magical spell, and all it had required was him laying in a hospital bed for a few hours, which come to think of it, was nowhere near as bad as casting spell after spell and ending up with magical exhaustion. Why had he been so against it again?

"Try it again!" Harry nearly cheered, and though Merlin rolled his eyes he was just as excited at the breakthrough. The horomone had indeed been important, but it was required to move through the blood vessels and to the extremities of the body before it reached the skin. It was very similar to how the Lanteans used their telekinesis and touch healing, though more advanced.

Once it reached the skin, a series of mental signals were sent into the Mitochondria of the skin cells, which combined with the horomone, allowed the body to pull the magic from its dimension and shape it into the desired form through the wand.

In order to create the machine, they had taken horomone and skin samples (via beaming) from all the adult wizards except Lupin, as they were unsure of how his results would effect the data. The man had not transformed once since they had come to Paradise, and it made Merlin wonder just what it was about Luna that made werewolves transform.

The samples were then analyzed until Merlin was able to synthesize the proper form of mitochondrial energy, and then find a way to convert the normal energy provided by the naquada generators into this energy. Because this energy was formed from both the horomone and the mitochondria, he only had to replicate it, not the horomone itself, to work with the mental signal. Once this was done, Merlin created an amplifier and attached it to the front of the machine, and they had their spell generator.

There was another, higher surge of energy and a blue streak of light crashed into the next target, only this time the target was completely vaporized. Merlin blinked. It seemed that increasing the energy linearly scaled the power exponentially instead of logarithmically.

"That was a reducto?" Sirius asked a bit weakly.

"Yes." Merlin said, still looking through the data for an explanation. It seemed that a human body would not have been able to handle that much energy without shutting down. Now for the opposite end of the spectrum...

Merlin loaded up the series of mental and energy signatures that Harry had recorded while in Guldvak, particularly those that were designed to disperse foreign energy. A trio of constructors were beamed into the room and Merlin ordered them to create a small sample of the Ares's hull in a hexagonal shape. It was a shape that was well used in Lantean lore and technology, as much of their more advanced mathematics used base six math instead of the base ten Earth was fond of.

A new target was created and the metal hull was placed in front of it.

Merlin ordered the machine to release the energy at a slow but steady pace, the focusing nozzle more diffused so as to not focus the energy too much. A warm humming sound came from the machine as what looked like a web of energy spread from the nozzle, clinging to the hull fragment and moving outward along the edges.

He quickly reset the nozzle and fired a medium(for the machine) powered reducto.

The blue light crashed into the hull and seemed to spread out before the hull fragment was splintered. Merlin frowned and immediately turned back to the monitor, wondering what he had done wrong.

Harry gave off a small huff. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

* * *

After the demonstration was over Harry walked up to the cafeteria, feeling starved.

James and Lily were sitting at one of the far tables and he gave them a small nod in recognition before heading toward the food replicator.

Nearly two months ago was the day Harry realized that there was no point in keeping the Potters locked up in their house. He felt more than a little silly about it, realizing how his anger and fear had blinded him to the fact they were people too, and that all people made mistakes.

Their mistake had badly affected the first eight years of his life, but at the same time had allowed him to discover Merlin in Glastonbury Tor. He couldn't imagine not knowing Merlin, so for that, he was grateful for their mistake. He was still a bit uncomfortable around them though, and wondered if he ever wouldn't be.

He heard one of the chairs scraping against the floor and saw James walking up to him. Harry forced himself to relax a bit, unclenching his hands and trying to keep his expression neutral.

"Hi Harry." James greeted him with a small smile, and Harry gave him an unsure one in response.

"I wanted to thank you for letting us be with everyone else, I should have done it a long time ago, but I..." He fell silent, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

Harry understood though. "I feel a bit silly for not doing it sooner; is there something else?"

James looked startled, but Harry had felt the man's trepidation even after he had said his thanks.

James looked back at his wife helplessly and she shook her head to herself before getting up from the table as well. Harry tightened his jaw slightly before he gave her a polite nod.

"We were wondering if there was...anywhere else we could go, see other places besides this resort." She said, looking around the room.

Her expression wasn't quite disgust, but more of a mix between exasperation and restlessness.

Harry relaxed, realizing now just what the problem was. It was like him before Merlin had forced him to take a vacation back on Earth.

"You want to be able to socialize again?" He asked.

She nodded slightly, and he gave a soft sigh, thinking of what he could do.

"I'm not comfortable bringing any of you, especially Andrew, back to Earth...but maybe another planet?" He finally asked.

James and Lily looked at each other uncomfortably. "We considered that...but how can we interact with them, speak with them?" She asked.

Harry waved a hand. "That part is easy, we have translator devices that make it seem like you are speaking the same language."

"Would it be safe?" Was James' question.

Harry thought for a moment, he and Merlin needed to go back to Hebridan at some point to finalize their agreement, and their president had offered them protection while they were there.

"It should be safe enough." he answered, then seeing their still worried looks, added "For what its worth, I'll be giving everyone that goes with us the same protective shield that I gave Andrew; and of course you can bring your wands if you want to."

Seeing their uneasy looks, Harry gave them a reassuring smile and said. "Let me know when you have made up your minds."

As he was about to step out the door, he stopped and added. "And can you find out what the others think about this?"

James gave him a short nod, his face pensive, and Harry walked out of the room.

* * *

July 17

Harry stared at the monitor for Joshua's health.

The first few times he looked at it after what Merlin termed his 'pity party', he had tried to find something that was wrong with the boy, something that would validate his self-hatred for forcing this change on him without his knowledge.

He was certain that his subconscious mind had known Joshua had the gene this entire time, it explained why he had felt so comfortable around the boy, even from the first time he met him. What he still unsure of was how his telepathy had managed to change Joshua's very mind, increasing its processing speed and improving his health.

One thing that Merlin had failed to mention before was that all Lanteans and those with the gene contained a smaller version of the organ that created the magic horomone in wizards, one that granted them their specific abilities. In that sense, the wizards were more advanced than the Lanteans.

However, the increased development of this part of the brain did not grant the magicals the same higher mental processing except for a rare few, and those were unlikely to be from the Lantean genes. It was more likely that these people were just genetically more intelligent than their peers, geniuses among their own kind.

Joshua was not a magical, the size of that part of his brain was nowhere near the same as one of them, something that Harry was thankful for. He did not want the boy to be caught in the problems of the magical world. However the presence of that section of the brain meant that he had always had the Lantean gene, and this gene was somehow affecting the rest of his brain in concert with Harry's telepathy, every time Harry visited.

The rate of growth was so rapid that Harry was starting to watch for outbursts of some kind of ability. Helen had mentioned something about Joshua being especially perceptive, so he was betting that Joshua was going to be a precog or maybe even a weak telepath.

"Harry?" He looked up from the monitor and saw Andrew giving him a strange look. He quickly put down the tablet and put it in sleep mode.

"What is it?" He asked, rubbing his eye. He hadn't managed to get much sleep the night before, and looking over the tablet in low lighting hadn't made his eyes very happy with him either.

"We're ready to go." Andrew said softly, and Harry could hear the suppressed excitement in his voice. Andrew had been one of the more vocal supporters of a trip outside of the planet. Surprisingly, so had Adromeda Tonks, and it had been the Blacks who were more weary of visiting another planet. Which made sense, given the age of their son.

His return smile to Andrew felt a bit forced, still thinking about what could happen to Joshua, but he pushed himself off of the bed and went to refresh himself.

Ten minutes later he had them beamed to the cafeteria, where Merlin was already outfitting the wizards (including baby Charlus) with the small pendants.

Harry was wearing his hardsuit, (not that anyone could tell thanks to the holographic projectors), and thus would not be able to use his staff unless the Hermes beamed it to him. He vowed to fix that problem at some point before he looked at Merlin in confirmation that he was ready.

"Now, the translation pendants you are wearing are very special, they take the _meaning_ behind the words of others and bring the information into your mind in a way you can understand. The same goes for when you talk, others within speaking distance will be perfectly able to understand you, so I expect you to be polite." Merlin said, giving a _very _pointed look to Sirius.

The man promptly squawked. "Stop looking at me like that, I wasn't going to do anything." Remus and Lily kept themselves from rolling their eyes. James didn't even bother as he gave a low snicker.

That snicker disappeared when Merlin's gaze fixed on him.

"That goes for you as well Mr. Potter." Merlin admonished, before glancing at the two women smiling at their husband's chastisement.

"I would hope that the Ladies Potter and Black would be able to keep their husbands in line?" He asked, and Harry could barely detect the mischief in his tone. He could also feel more than a little annoyance coming from James over not acknowledging his lordship while doing so for his wife.

The two women looked at each other prospectively before unholy gleams entered their eyes.

"We would be glad to." Carolynn nearly purred while sending a look at her husband that would make a lesser man weep.

Andrew held in a snicker at his uncle's suddenly nervous look.

"Lets get going then." Harry spoke, before they were beamed to the Hermes and were on their way.

* * *

As was quickly becoming a habit whenever traveling via ship, everyone was crowded into the bridge to watch the passage through hyperspace. Merlin was more than a little amused by the fact that several of them conjured chairs in which to sit and watch the ribbons of color go by, their robes got in the way so easily.

While that was going on, Harry and Merlin discussed what they should offer for trade, and what they would like in response.

_"Even with the goa'uld crystals, I'd like to see if they have any unbiased information on the goa'uld in this area of the galaxy."_ Harry whispered in Lantean.

_"You think that Apophis would underestimate his opponents like that?"_ Merlin sounded skeptical, but the Goa'uld were notoriously self absorbed, they thought that they deserved to be treated like gods for having more advanced technology than the majority of the galaxy. Even more ridiculous was the fact that the majority of their tech came from reverse engineering technology left by the Lanteans after the plague and subsequent exodus to Pegasus.

The truth was, any tactical data that came from a Goa'uld, for all its usefulness, could not be trusted. And while they had been sending probes throughout the galaxy, there were nowhere near enough of them to know what was happening in every place at every time. A full count of Goa'uld ships would only happen if the entire galaxy was covered in sensor probes, for all he knew the majority of the ships would be missed while they were somewhere else in the galaxy.

_"I don't know."_ Harry shrugged. _"But it would be nice to have solid information on them from another source."_

Merlin nodded in understanding, and they both fell silent, the background noise of the others washing over them.

* * *

They reappeared in normal space about ten light minutes away from Hebridan, about 25% greater than the distance between the Earth and Sol.

They could have made their way closer, but Merlin did not want to alarm the Hebridian government unnecessarily.

_"Send the greeting message to their president." _He whispered to Harry. He could have done it himself, but let the boy enjoy himself.

"This is the Lantean ship Hermes to Hebridan control, please respond." Harry recorded and sent the subspace message on a frequency they had been given before.

A few moments later there was a pinging sound as the viewscreen changed to the face of Techcon's current president, Miles Hagan.

"Captain Emrys, it is good to see you again." The president greeted Merlin. "I am sending you landing coordinates on the planet's surface as well as a temporary signal to move through the defense grid." Here the president paused and took a good look at the wizards staring at the screen. "Are these people part of your delegation?"

Harry fought to keep his face straight as Andrew suddenly stiffened his back in an effort to look more mature. Harry was currently disguised in his older form, not wanting to be underestimated due to his young age.

"No, they are members of our people that expressed a desire to see another advanced world." Merlin replied pleasantly. "Do we have permission to exit hyperspace near your planet?"

The president nodded. "You do, I will be waiting by the landing coordinates."

Harry nodded in return and the view-screen changed back to that of the space around them."

"As you have just heard, we will be arriving to their planet soon, and we will be meeting their president when we land-yes Andrew?" Merlin asked exasperatedly when he saw the boy's hand waving around.

"Why aren't we using the beaming?" He asked, sounding honestly confused. That confusion was mirrored on the adults.

Harry sighed a bit. "Our technology is very advanced Andrew, far more so than the Hebridanians...we do not want them to feel threatened by us."

Harry looked especially at the two former lords as he asked. "You two were once on the wizarding governing body correct?"

Sirius made a face at the reminder, but nodded just as James had. The Wizengamot meetings had been dreadfully boring most of the time.

"Then I would expect you two to act the same here, give no concrete answers to anything that they ask, leave any mentions of our technology and what you have seen us use it for out of your conversations with your guides, it will be much less difficult to deal with them that way."

What he didn't say was that he and Merlin also didn't want them to know about the tech that they had. It would save them the headache of providing technology to a race that wasn't ready for it.

The two of them looked slightly uncomfortable at the order, but nodded nonetheless.

"Are there any other questions?" Merlin asked.

After a moment, he decided he had waited long enough for a negative answer and continued. "Now we do not know much about these people, so I have taken the precaution of giving you all the pendants around your necks."

"They are invisible to everyone but you, unless someone comes too close to you. They allow us to track you, and if you ever find yourselves in danger, touch the pendant and think of getting back to the Hermes, it will beam you aboard."

"I thought you said it would be safe." James surged up, indignation written all over his face.

Merlin mentally rolled his eyes. "And it should be, but the pendants are there just in case."

"Oh." James sat back down again, refusing to feel embarrassed by the outburst.

"Now, then, is everyone prepared?"

Receiving an affirmative Merlin had the ship jump into hyperspace for a few moments before they exited on the edge of the planet's airspace. Though the term was a bit of a misnomer, as there was no air in space.

Harry spared a moment to send the signal to the defense satellites, the last time they hadn't needed it thanks to the other ships escorting them. He received an automated confirmation and only then started to move the ship closer to the planet, noting that a pair of satellites were moving apart from each other, leaving an obvious gap for them to travel through.

Harry pushed the ship forward, mentally keeping an eye on the defenses in case they suddenly reactivated. Their shields were up, but he still wanted to be ready. Ancient shields could take a lot of punishment, but the sheer amount of defenses around the planet showed why the Goa'uld were so reluctant to try and attack it when there were much easier targets.

The ship rocked only slightly as it entered the atmosphere, the inertial compensators adjusting almost immediately to the forces pushing against the ship. Everyone else in the ship was watching the view-screen as heavily industrialized land appeared in their vision, trains flying hundreds of feet above the ground without any signs of trouble.

They arrived at the coordinates within five minutes of flying down, and Harry noted a pair of transports already on the docking pad, they must have been for the president and other dignitaries of the planet.

Harry moved the ship down at a gentle pace, decelerating and slowly descending into the platform. At fifty meters long, the ship was more than twice the size of the civilian transports used for the Hebridian dignitaries.

Harry turned so the rear was facing the waiting dignitaries and powered down the forward engines as the ship touched the ground smoothly without landing gear.

"Is everyone ready?" Harry asked as soon as he stepped out from the control chair.

The wizards visibly straightened themselves, brushing off their cloaks even though there was not an ounce of dust within the Hermes, the environmental filters would never allow it.

They followed Harry and Merlin down the main hallway before exiting at the rear of the ship.

"Welcome to Hebridan Captain Emrys." President Hagan greeted them at a respectful distance of fifteen paces, his attention solely focused on Merlin instead of the wizards looking around the city in awe.

"It is a pleasure to be here." Merlin returned just as smoothly, giving a short bow of his head while Harry, in his alternate form, followed suit. While the wizards were wearing their best everyday robes, he and Merlin were 'dressed' in the command uniforms used by the Lantean fleet so long ago.

"Come." Hagan gestured towards the civilian aircraft and Merlin gave him another short bow...not much more than a nod of the head, and the group followed him in.

* * *

"I admit when we first saw your orbital platform, we were more than a little worried...it had none of the pomp and grandeur that the Goa'uld are known for...but we were not aware of any other spacefaring races in this sector of the galaxy, so we investigated..." Hagan said as they walked down the hallway, a quartet of bodyguards in black and silver uniforms standing behind them.

Their minds showed no hostile intent, but their presence still made Harry a little nervous, he was barely able to keep his hands relaxed when he could feel their cold eyes staring into the back of his head, waiting for him to make a wrong move.

"Your ships seem to be very well equipped for their size." Merlin said softly, and the president gave a small smile at the not quite blantant flattery.

"They are the fastest ships we have." He answered, and Harry kept his eyebrow carefully in its place. It took those ships several hours to get back to Hebridan, he would know, their ship had followed them at a slightly slower pace to maintain an illusion of having less advanced ships.

Merlin nodded in return to the statement, looking around the corridors of Techcon with something resembling interest.

"I am curious though, you said that the Goa'uld have not attacked your fleets in some time, how do you know that they are not planning for another attack?"

Hagan made a noncommittal gesture. "There have only been several minor incursions made by the Goa'uld over the past few years...scout ships that were quickly caught and destroyed by our fleet.

There hasn't been a capital ship in our space for more than three millennia, and even if there was, our planetary defenses are more than able to pierce their shields."

He sounded only the slightest bit smug when he said this, and Harry mentally rolled his eyes. The only reason that the Goa'uld were considered powerful was that they quickly squashed any planets that they thought were a threat to them. Any race that had time to develop their technologies would likely be able to destroy a few ha'tak, but there was a difference between a dozen ships and several thousand, which was what would happen if the System Lords found themselves faced with a significant threat.

"We have been searching for more information on these Goa'uld, but they are very secretive, and their strongholds are heavily guarded." Merlin said. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It had been a piece of cake to get into Apophis' data room and steal the important data.

"We have gathered what information we can using our scout ships, sadly the very size of this galaxy makes it difficult for us to gather information too far from our own domain." Hagan returned. "I would be happy to arrange a trade of each others respective intelligence so that both our societies may benefit."

Merlin bowed his head once more, and one of the bodyguards moved ahead of them to open the door, looking inside and scanning with a handheld device before stepping out again and nodding to the president.

"Let us speak of our arrangement." the president said, and he waited for the both of them to sit before sitting down.

"What of the department heads?" Merlin questioned.

"They will come once we have discussed the basics, there is a small revolt on one of our colonies that is requiring their full attention."

"A revolt?" Harry asked, the first question he had made so far.

"Yes, a faction of humans has been growing stronger in their xenophobia, believing that the Serrakin and human hybrids are conspiring against them to take their power and livelihoods." The man showed no expression when he said it, but there was a feeling of annoyance mixed with exasperation in his emotions.

Harry gave Merlin a discreet nod, the man was telling the truth, and he could also tell that he despised the violence that was going on.

"Now, to start, I would like to ask your expectations for our agreement."

Harry listened as Merlin began speaking, but his gaze was elsewhere. He wanted to learn about this treaty, but at the same time he knew that the discussion would likely take hours of work, and he hated staying still for such a long time.

* * *

"I never thought I'd see a more magical place than Diagon Alley, but this city..." Theodore Tonks trailed off, looking at the floating billboards with a little awe.

Andrew himself felt like his head was going to screw off with how he was looking around. There was so much to see, all these restaurants and stores, covered with shifting patterns of light that made the lower city look like a constant fireworks display. It was beautiful.

And the people, there were so many of them, both alien and human walking side by side in the streets. Quite a few of them were giving their group strange looks. Andrew flushed self consciously at their stares, their robes were not _that _strange.

Nymphadora was glad for the glamour her parents had placed on her before leaving. She knew if they hadn't her hair would be all over the place by now. It was so exciting! She absolutely adored shopping in Diagon Alley before they had left. (And yes, she knew that she was acting like a stereotype, but didn't really care) But she had heard of Muggle shopping malls from her dad, and she had even had the opportunity to visit one when she was younger and her mother had not been there to disapprove of it.

But this planet was like a gigantic mall; she couldn't even imagine all the things she could find here.

Her adoration must have been quite plain to their tour guide, because his expression was more than a little smug.

James, who was having nowhere near as much fun as the young Tonks, caught the smug look on their guides face and once again suppressed the urge to deck the man/lizard hybrid.

Gameth, (as the tour guide was called) had been leading them around the city for what felt like hours now, and his voice never failed to loose its condescending edge, as if he didn't believe their group was worthy of his time. A fact that was somehow missed by everyone else.

James did not want to admit that maybe his irritation was making him hear something that wasn't there, and he was glad that the man hadn't asked any questions about their own society, as they technically didn't have one.

"The entertainment district is filled with any product you can imagine, from kitchenware to transportation." Their guide said sagely, pointing at two stores selling the same products he was mentioning. From where Lily was standing she could see kids riding the equivalent of off-road vehicles, only these were hovering nearly a foot above the ground and flying in all directions, much like a broom.

"And what of the fine arts?" Andromeda asked. She managed to put just enough disinterest to sound bored, but not quite enough to sound insulting. Their guide's face reddened slightly as he said. "We have several museums dedicated to both music and historical artifacts, many of which are considered priceless treasures."

"I believe we would like to see them." Sirius said, though he was more speaking for his wife, she was looking a bit tired from carrying a squirmy Charles. He reached for the baby and she gave him a small warning look before tucking the baby tighter into her arms. She had yet to forgive him for playing 'catch the dragon' with their child nearly a week ago.

If it weren't for the wrath she would bring down on him for even mentioning it, Sirius would have been insulted. He always cushioned the floor when playing that game, and he only dropped Charles once.

* * *

Harry was grateful once the meeting was over, mostly because his legs and arse felt numb from sitting for so long. Merlin, being a hologram, would not feel the same discomfort, so he had quite happily continued the conversation long after the president started to feel uncomfortable.

The agreement was rather simple. The Lanteans would not jump into Hebridan space unannounced, instead arriving farther away from the sun as they had done before.

In return, Merlin had claimed the next few systems around the beta sphere farthest from Hebridan(they would have the cargo ships start mining there for the systems to look busy).

And just these agreements had taken hours.

"Well that was entertaining." Merlin said with a smug smile.

Harry shook his head. He knew that Merlin liked to argue, they did it all the time after all, but the way he and the president had been _politely_ discussing the conditions and systems the Lanteans could claim had made his head hurt with the double meanings and subtle implications.

"I haven't had that much fun since..." Merlin frowned slightly. "A long time ago."

"When you were a councilor?" Harry asked. Their translators were off and they were both speaking in low voices, just in case.

Merlin nodded his head. "Sometimes it felt like I was... leading a pack of cats would be the best description; the other councilors were independent and seemed to have little common sense, but I still enjoyed my place on the Lantean Council."

Harry waited until they passed through the open doors and onto the street before asking. "You ever wonder what happened to it?"

"Hmm?" Merlin asked, his attention had been on his surroundings.

"Atlantis?"

Merlins face fell. "I do."

"Then why don't you want to see what happened to it? We could easily build a probe capable of intergalactic travel."

Merlin opened his mouth, then closed it again, weighing his words. "There are plenty of feeble excuses, but if I were to be honest...I feel ashamed."

Harry could hardly believe his ears. His mentor, a hologram, didn't want to go back to his people's home out of shame?

Well, granted, he was a very advanced and realistic hologram with all of Merlin's memories, but still.

Merlin must have seen the expression on his face because he shook his head. "Two years ago you asked why the Potters would have made the decision to leave you on your Aunt's doorstep, and I told you that people make mistakes when they were afraid, when they are stressed."

Harry nodded reluctantly.

"We were tired of war, of constantly pushing back the Wraith, and so after a decisive victory we made the decision to chase after their fleeing ships with nearly everything we had; to destroy them once and for all."

He shook his head bitterly, mindful of the people around them so that he gave no other sign of his discomfort.

"I was the deciding vote." He finished and fell silent.

Harry felt a flash of pity for his mentor. To always wonder what would have happened if 'his' decision had been the opposite, if his race would still be alive...

Harry saw the civilian transport in front of them and decided it would be better to finish this conversation at another time. He turned the translator back on just as the doors to the transport opened up.

President Hagan gave them a polite smile as he gestured toward the transport. "I have alerted those in charge of your passengers, they will be meeting us at your ship."

Merlin bowed, his previous discomfort masked. "I am glad that this day was so productive, and I hope that future interactions between our peoples are just as fruitful."

Harry bowed as well, and the President followed their lead, a genuine sense of satisfaction coloring his mind. That was good. It meant that _he_ truly wanted this alliance, he wasn't being pressured into it by members of his cabinet or some other group.

* * *

September 1

Kings Cross

London

Ginny felt empty as she watched her brothers head onto the Hogwarts Express.

Numb.

Being the youngest, and the only girl, made her spoiled. But it also made her wait so long, so impatiently, to attend the same school that her brothers had. She had dreamed of seeing the school, of learning magic, but now...

She held back tears as the train started to move away, trying to ignore the mixed looks of pity and disgust at her presence on the platform. She was a squib.

Squibs could not hold jobs in the ministry of magic. Obviously, they couldn't get a job that required wand magic, as they had barely enough magic to be above muggles.

If they were lucky, and had talent, they might be able to make a decent living in potions, but she hated the idea of doing that. She had seen what Snape had looked like, his hair greasy from the potions fumes, and she shuddered at the idea of her hair becoming like that.

She was a squib.

Another option was to become an Arithmancer or a Ward Architect, not a Wardcrafter; as they needed wands to do their work, but the step before them. Bill was hired by Gringotts for ward breaking, and if he was accepted, even with his family's poor financial status (which she hated) then maybe she could be accepted as well, even if she was a squib.

_Useless._

If she couldn't get an honest job...the possibilities were rather bleak. She knew very little of the muggle world, and to be honest, didn't want to, it seemed so wild and dangerous.

And despite what her parents thought, she was hardly as innocent as they believed. The last year with her body possessed by the diary had left awful memories in her mind, dreams of dark places, what could only be a brothel in the middle of Knocturn alley. She knew that this was the less fortunate squibs went, and she was terrified of that even being a possibility.

She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder, and was surprised to find herself crying. She wiped her eyes furiously and nearly brushed her mothers arm off. She must seem so weak, watching her brothers go away on the train and crying like a baby.

Ginny clenched her fists and furiously dried her tears, forcing her face into a stony expression. She would not be weak. Not in front of all these people who like nothing more than step on her like she was a bug.

Her mother and father watched the train until it left the platform. Other parents were already leaving, their own younger children in tow.

Ginny tugged on her mum's arm. She wanted to leave.

* * *

September 25

Paradise

"By all my ancestors, what is wrong with this piece of -!" Merlin barely halted himself from saying the curse word and Harry stared wide eyed at him.

Merlin _never_ cursed, though Harry could understand why in this instance.

Every single test that they had conducted with the energy dispersion had failed. Power levels did nothing, except spread the energy a little more efficiently. Surface area also helped, but it wasn't very encouraging when the hull fragment was damaged or shattered anyway.

"Maybe we should take a break." Harry offered, then quickly backpedalled when Merlin turned his glare on him. "Or not, we can just try as many times as you want."

Merlin made a low growling sound before turning back to the readouts as if would make him understand what they were doing wrong.

Harry just didn't know why it wasn't working. The goblin magic had been recorded and documented, and they knew the energy field was having some kind of effect on the metal, the previous tests showed that much.

Unbidden, his thoughts drifted back to when he had been in Longsnout's forge, watching him strike the metal he was shaping with blow after blow while adding layers upon layers of enchantments. His eyes widened. Surely it couldn't be that easy!

"Merlin" He whispered loudly, and the hologram turned to face him, his expression cross.

"Call back the constructors...I have an idea."

Merlin gave him a look and decided to humor Harry. Even with all of his expertise, the boy had managed to find errors or ideas he would not have thought of. Three constructors appeared in the room with them a few seconds later.

"When I was in the goblin forges, Longsnout didn't apply the magic only once." He said, and Merlin's eyes narrowed in thought before they widened. Rapidly, he connected what Harry was saying to why they needed the constructors. "You want to apply the energy field while the constructors are building the hull?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't think that will work with the beaming...but we can have the constructors build the layers in small thicknesses, then move them away and apply the energy field."

"And once that is done, have the constructors add some more material until the next infusion of energy." Merlin finished, seeing where Harry was going.

A few hours later, a shout of triumph reverberated around the lower floors.

* * *

October 3

Paradise

Lily bit her lip, wondering if it was safe for her to enter the 'testing room' as Harry had been calling it. There were some fairly loud explosions going on in there, and she wondered just what it was they were doing in there.

In her hands she grasped the sheaf of papers she had been tirelessly working on for months, nearly a year.

She knew that Harry was focused on bringing magic into the fold of science, and it was something that both impressed her and frightened her. Magic could be incredibly dangerous if not handled properly.

Still, she had decided to do this for him.

Lily readily admitted that part of the reason she made the book was as a gift, as a small way of trying to make things right between them. She acknowledged it was her fault that Harry had been sent to her horrible sister, even if James insisted on taking some of the blame for not arguing against her.

She tapped on the doorframe, knowing that it would be locked if they were working in there. She waited a moment, wondering if they heard her knocking on the door. Her hand rose to knock again, only for the sounds inside the room to stop and the door opened in front of her.

She was struck at how _happy_ her son- Harry looked at the moment. His cheeks flushed, eyes wide. But almost immediately after he opened the door, Harry's expression shifted into neutrality, and she felt a small pang at the loss, and that she was the cause of it.

"I...know that you've been working to recreate magic, so, I thought you could use this." She held out the somewhat thick sheaf of pages with a slightly shaking hand. Every bit of useful information she could find on the subject was in the pile, organized by method and concept. Harry gently took it from her hand, looking over the loose sheets carefully.

"Spell Creation?" He asked softly, but his tone was not disbelieving, it was more excited than anything else. He made a small gesture and one of the constructors came up to the parchment. Lily watched in puzzlement as the constructor's scanner swept across the book multiple times before it stopped.

Harry took out his tablet, and commanded the constructor to transfer the information to him. A few seconds later and the information was conpiled in a readable format, and the pad projected an image of the pages above itself, while Lily stared on in amazement. She knew about photocopiers, but those machines had to scan page by page, this machine had not even opened the book.

"How?" She murmured.

Seeing Harry was far too engrossed in the virtual pages to answer, Merlin explained. "The constructor files the location of every single particle in the book and then recreates it the same way; compared to that it is easy to take all the information on the pages and convert them into text and images."

Lily admitted that her understanding of chemistry was limited, but what she heard impressed her all the same.

Harry was too focused on the tablet in front of him to care about what they were saying. Without another word he beamed himself to his room.

He would need a new program to use this information, but once he did...he would be able to see the process of creating spells, to manipulate current ones to his own means. And with time, he might even be able to manipulate the 'magic' at a finer level than was possible for wizards.

* * *

October 24

With all the different projects he had going on, both his and Merlins, Harry was starting to feel a little worn out. Even with everything that he was doing, he felt as if in reality he was getting nothing done. The Goa'uld were still a much a threat to the peace as ever, enslaving worlds and killing thousands if not millions of the Jaffa serving them in their petty skirmishes over territory. It was odd though, that they were staying away from specific inhabited planets, even though said planets were of low technological levels.

A small fleet of sensor drones had been modified and sent to the Pegasus galaxy to scout it out system by system, searching for and attaching subspace locators to any Wraith ships they could find. They also had orders to examine the bio-armor covering their ships for comparison and possible integration into their own vessels.

The drone weapon factories had slowed in production, mostly because there were untold thousands of the things in storage, even after the factories in orbit were fully stocked for defense. Instead Harry reassigned the resources sent to those factories to creating defensive platforms and long range sensor buoys by the dozen, all for the possibility of discovery by the Goa'uld.

Both the Alpha and Beta spheres were moving along on schedule, and the Beta sphere now had a cloud of constructors making orbital defenses in case the two Ares class ships were not enough to protect it.

Because of the swift advances in understanding over the magic, Merlin was looking over the original designs of the Hermes and constructors; he wanted to upgrade the current constructors with the ability to generate magic, as a way to build new ships with energy refracting hulls. He had also commissioned a squad of constructors to start construction of a few Ha'tak, using the specifications of the ships used by Apophis. They needed to test their ships somehow after all.

The work on the magic calculation from Lady Potter's notes was moving along, albeit a bit slowly due to the differences in mathematics. Merlin insisted that Harry was more intelligent than he gave himself credit for, but his struggle to understand how the wizarding mathematics worked both frustrated and infuriated him.

Even with all these projects, Harry felt both restless and exhausted, and it wasn't from being on the planet all the time.

He just knew that the situation with the wizards on Earth was a ticking time bomb waiting to happen, and the non-magicals would be the likely ones to suffer.

The conditions of living given to the Goblin nation only added to that problem. Harry wanted to offer them a way off the planet, but he was also leery of the problems that them leaving could cause in the wizarding world.

Harry stiffened when he heard the footsteps coming up behind him. Too light to be James, but too heavy for any of the witches.

"Mr. Tonks?" Harry asked out loud, and he mentally snickered at the surprise that flickered over the man's mind as he came up to him.

"How did you know?" The older man asked him before he sat down, his face covered in the red-orange sunlight.

"Your footsteps." Harry muttered, but his mind was already moving far away, until he felt a small nudge at his shoulder.

"None of that Harry, I didn't come up here just because I felt like it." Ted admonished, and Harry's eyes quickly snapped back to him.

Despite feeling a little irritated, Harry was calm when he asked. "Then why are you here?"

"Something's bothering you." The man stated.

Harry frowned at him. "And...what is wrong with that?"

"Everyone can see it, even Sirius." And that man was hardly observant unless he was setting a prank and didn't want to be caught. _  
_

Honest bewilderment crossed Harry's face. "Again I ask why this is important?"

"Because you shouldn't have so much to worry about at your age." Ted replied, then winced as he realized how that came out.

Harry's expression turned from confusion to annoyance. He absolutely hated it when adults thought he was _too young_ to do anything, too immature.

"Its not like there is anyone else that can worry about it! The galaxy is a mess, the Goa'uld are still enslaving millions if not billions of humans and other species, and I'm sitting here on this nice safe planet doing nothing to stop them!"

Ted quickly raised his hands to calm Harry, noting that several loose objects in the room were starting to tremble. "I didn't mean it that way Harry, please calm down."

Harry glowered at the man but took a deep breath anyway. "Then what did you mean?"

Ted didn't know what to say. Unbidden, his lips moved. "You're working too hard."

Harry gave him a flat stare. "I'm working too hard?"

"You're always working on something, only taking a break to go run that obstacle course Andrew hates so much."

Ted paused for a moment, forming the words in his mind.

"I'm worried that you'll burn out." He said softly, and though he was still annoyed at the man, Harry felt himself calming a little at the honesty. He could only feel concern and exasperation.

"I won't burn out." Harry insisted, but not as forcefully as before. "I just have a lot on my plate right now, especially with all we are learning to do with the energy you call magic."

The feeling of exasperation increased, but Ted nodded to himself. "All right Harry, but if you need it, my door is always open." And with that he started to walk out of the room.

Harry smiled lightly as Ted left the room; it felt nice to have another adult like him concerned for his health. A moment later he stood up and stretched. He had been sitting here for far too long.

He went over his mental list one more time and decided that it was time he started on one of the things he could fix, whether Merlin thought it was a good idea or not.

* * *

December 31, 1993

Hogwarts

Dumbledore did not need this right now, not with all of the problems he had locating young Andrew.

Just last night, a dark sympathizing prison guard had opened the cells of Azkaban's worst inmates, the normal auror force had been stretched thin with the increased crime since the 'death' of the boy who lived, as if the boy's mere existence had discouraged them before.

The dementors had been kept away by using an imperious curse on the warden, who promptly sent them all to the lower security areas and locked them in there.

The only good thing about the whole mess was that their wands had been destroyed before incarceration. The bad was that most if not all Noble families had more than one wand attuned to their members, and those wands were usually hidden in vaults or manors.

It would take all of Dumbledore's diplomatic skill to keep the Triwizard tournament going, as the danger these former Death Eaters presented would not be ignored by the other schools. The ministry would likely spend a fair amount of the funds confiscated from the near empty Potter Vaults to pay for the enhanced security.

Said confiscation had infuriated the Goblins, but the Minister was too easily corrupted by greed and the promises of people like Lucius Malfoy to care. Dumbledore only hoped that their anger would abate, for once Voldemort returned they would be hard pressed to defeat him if it had not.

He looked over his desk, repeating the words "nine months" like a mantra. All he had to do was wait until the Goblet of fire was lit, and so many problems in the Wizarding world could be solved. All with the return of the Boy who Lived.

* * *

January 5, 1994

Gringotts, New Orleans

Harry stood in Sharptooth's office, nervously looking between his bank manager and the door to his office.

After his self made promise, Harry had been relentless in going over the data from the Milky way probes, particularly to those spanning a radius of a few thousand light-years from Earth and Paradise.

He knew what Merlin had said, but despite his words, he knew that this injustice couldn't stand; that the goblins deserved to have another option than be enslaved by the wizards of Earth. So he was here to give them that option.

The door nearly slammed open, but Harry kept himself from flinching, knowing that he had to look his best if his idea were to be accepted.

"You may go." Ragnok dismissed the messenger, who gave a prompt and deep bow before closing the door behind himself.

Ragnok looked at Harry and walked over to one of the chairs waiting patiently.

"I wanted to offer you something." Harry opened.

Both goblins looked at each other, Ragnok's eyes searching Sharptooth's before he gave a low sigh. "Go on."

"I- when we made our first deal, after I showed you the Earth; you said something Lord Ragnok."

Ragnok's eyes narrowed minutely, but his face was calm. "I did."

"And after what happened the last time I was here, I realized why you said what you did." Harry said demurely.

Ragnok made a low growling sound, the boy was dancing around what he wanted to say, why couldn't he just say it?

"Harry, why don't you tell us what you have to say?" Sharptooth asked, looking at the branch manager with some trepidation.

Harry took a deep breath and said. "I want to find your race another planet."

Ragnok became perfectly still, much like a leopard about to pounce. "Could you repeat that please?"

Harry swallowed at the Goblins almost soft tone. He had never heard it before, and he was worried about it. He did not want to offend the manager, nor be attacked by him, which was what his current pose looked like.

"I..know that tensions between the goblins and wizards are high, and I wanted your people to have a safe place, where none of the wizards could reach you."

Ragnok stared at him, his eyes nearing incredulousness, before he tilted his head and started to laugh.

Harry frowned a bit, but said nothing until the goblin stopped laughing a few seconds later.

"And what, you'll just grant us a world for our own, just like that?" Ragnok asked derisively.

Harry actually felt a bit hurt. Hadn't he shown this goblin his honesty, shown him that he would honor a deal?

"Yes I would." He nearly snapped back before taking a sharp breath to calm himself. He needed to keep himself calm, Ragnok wouldn't listen to him if he was angry. He needed to stay calm.

Sharptooth looked between the two of them uneasily before he decided to break the silence. "And how would you bring us to this world?"

Harry turned his eyes to him before he replied. "Through a portal known as a Stargate."

* * *

Authors note: Sorry for the long time between updates guys, I have no good excuse other than a small case of writers block and working on other things.

I'll be starting my next college term on September 4th, so I'll try and get some work done on the next chapter before then, I'll have very little time once term starts, and updates will likely take much longer.

Oh, and as a warning, the next chapter will skip until the beginning of the Triwizard tournament, I've been stretching out the wait for this for too long, so for those wanting some more action, there will be quite a bit in the next few chapters as Andrew goes into the tournament.

Posted 8/21/13


	16. Chapter 15

Ok, so it doesn't skip to the beginning of the Triwizard, but the triwizard does begin in this chapter, towards the middle. Anyway, it just didn't feel right leaving out some major events.

And to the reviewer Disturbia, I would have replied to this in a PM but for some reason I can't so I'll just say it here.

Yes, Harry thinks of himself more as an adult because for the most part he has taken care of himself his entire life. And Merlin does reign him in whenever he is being unreasonable. Unless you meant reigning in his sense of maturity? If so, he doesn't want to do that because he needs Harry to be mature, to be ready to rebuild his race and lead it.

The dyson spheres were specifically placed in areas with no life and very little chances of life forming, but I do agree that the second sphere wasn't very well though out in placement, given the unknown area it was placed in.

Harry is not getting out of control, he is actually fairly careful about his decisions, except for some of them that have been in the heat of the moment; no one is perfect.

Last Time:

"Harry, why don't you tell us what you have to say?" Sharptooth asked, looking at the branch manager with some trepidation.

Harry took a deep breath and said. "I want to find your race another planet."

Ragnok became perfectly still, much like a leopard about to pounce. "Could you repeat that please?"

Harry swallowed at the Goblins almost soft tone. He had never heard it before, and he was worried about it. He did not want to offend the manager, nor be attacked by him, which was what his current pose looked like.

"I..know that tensions between the goblins and wizards are high, and I wanted your people to have a safe place, where none of the wizards could reach you."

Ragnok stared at him, his eyes nearing incredulousness, before he tilted his head and started to laugh.

Harry frowned a bit, but said nothing until the goblin stopped laughing a few seconds later.

"And what, you'll just grant us a world for our own, just like that?" Ragnok asked derisively.

Harry actually felt a bit hurt. Hadn't he shown this goblin his honesty, shown him that he would honor a deal?

"Yes I would." He nearly snapped back before taking a sharp breath to calm himself. He needed to keep himself calm, Ragnok wouldn't listen to him if he was angry. He needed to stay calm.

Sharptooth looked between the two of them uneasily before he decided to break the silence. "And how would you bring us to this world?"

Harry turned his eyes to him before he replied. "Through a portal known as a Stargate."

Ch15:

March 27th, 1994

Gringotts Britain

Harry stood on the podium with Sharptooth at his side, staring at the many thousands of goblins looking back up at him on top of the podium. His throat felt dry, and if it weren't for the hard-suit covering his body he was sure that he would be dripping with sweat.

He was here because according to Sharptooth, this Gringotts was the very first as well as the largest in the world, with the city itself being named after the founder of the bank; Cleverknife Gringott, and housing at least twenty percent of the world population of goblins. In comparison, Gringotts new Orleans only held about two percent of the world population, several thousand goblins, maybe four or five at the most. The goblins greatly outnumbered the wizards, but thanks to the limitations placed on foci, it took them far longer to use their own magic.

With their numbers, and the amount of space they had constrained, the goblins were starting to have trouble supporting their population with what they had. It was only the hard work of the greatest goblin economists that allowed the majority of the populations to eat, though as shown by Harry's unfortunate encounter in Guldvak, there were still those goblins that were not as lucky as the rest.

Ragnok of London cleared his throat loudly, some sort of magic amplifying his voice as it echoed across the cavern walls. With his translator, Harry heard the gravelly speech in his mind.

"Goblins of Gringotts, I come to you to speak, to speak of a fantastic event; one that has been far too long in coming.

We are a proud people, a powerful people."

A pause.

"We are talented, we are strong, and above all, we are cunning."

Ragnok suddenly straightened, anger surging through his mind with a ferocity that nearly made Harry cry out in shock.

"And what has this cunning, this pride brought us to?" He looked around the walls of the cavern, looked down at the crowd in front of him as if he were looking every single goblin in the eye.

"Ruin!" He shouted, gesturing sharply, and Harry stifled the urge to jump at how _loud_ his voice had become without any warning.

"We are Goblins, none can reach our skill in metalwork and enchantment, wards and defenses."

"Our warriors are strong, their minds resolute and unyielding to _wizards._" He nearly hissed the last word, and there was a low roar of discontent from the crowds, making the walls seem to vibrate.

"Our children are tenacious and many, our wives are patient and resolute."

"Our people...are _powerful._" He roared, and the crowd roared in agreement.

"And yet Wizard-kind treats us as if we are trash; as if _we _are _below_ their attention and notice."

"They believe us to be uncivilized animals, disgusting, when it is they that are disgusting, with their preconceived notions and greed for _goblin_ treasures!"

Another roar of approval.

"They have no honor, agreements made with _them_ are worth less than the parchment they are written!"

Harry was growing more and more alarmed with the way this speech was going. Ragnok of London was an excellent speaker, passionate and adept at making the crowd _feel_ what he felt. But at this rate it seemed the goblins were more likely to begin another rebellion than accept the idea of settling another planet.

"They restrict our mining grounds, our farmlands, our precious resources; and for what?" They have no need of these lands, they do not use them. They solely wish for us, the _Goblin Nation, _to not have them."

"I have come here today to say no more!"

"The wizards have prevented us from moving further into the ground, then why should we limit ourselves to this ground?"

There was a sense of confusion mixed in with the crowd now, and Ragnok gave Harry a subtle gesture from the podium.

"I have here a young squib, born from a rich wizarding family and yet abandoned for not having the magic wizards so covet." Ragnok said in disappointment and anger.

Harry felt mildly annoyed at the goblin king bringing up his past like this, but he was more interested in having the goblins listen and agree, so he kept his silence, for now.

"He was adopted by a man, not a wizard, whose people were the unknown ancestors to the wizards, ancient in a way I had trouble believing until I was granted access to one of their most priceless artifacts."

There was a stunned silence, and given that the earliest known civilizations in the Wizarding world were the Egyptians, it was almost impossible to fathom a race even older than theirs. The goblin nation only came into existence in the late Roman Empire, uniting the different clans under one ruler. So for there to be a race that was ancient compared to that...it was nearly incomprehensible.

"This race, who beheld powers and machines beyond imagining, who at their prime had the ability to sail into the void between the stars like ships over an endless ocean."

The silence was deafening.

Harry could feel the skepticism rising from the crowds and gave a quick look to the goblin king, who seemed content to let his people murmur and speak among themselves in disbelief.

Their discontent seemed to grow, physically and emotionally until the entire chamber was ringing with cries for proof. Despite their respect for their king and leader, there were some things that could not be said without alienating their beliefs, their eternal truths.

Ragnok raised his hands for silence, and reluctantly, the voices quietened, staring and hoping and wondering and praying all at once that what their king said was true.

"This child, not yet a man, has been supplying our race with large quantities of Mithril, a precious resource that we are no longer able to access ourselves; in a quantity that could could not be found on the entire Earth today.

This alone would have convinced me, but what _I_ have seen is not what _you_, my people, have seen."

Ragnok took a knife and pricked each of his clawed fingertips, chanting lowly under his breath as he rested his hands on the pedestal. Light flared as the drops touched the stone, the engraved lines that Harry had originally thought ornamental glowing with magic.

As Harry watched, the glowing lines sprung upward toward the cavern roof, twisting and snaking around in a pattern he had failed to see before, too nervous to even notice with the crowds below. Then as the light stopped spreading, a glow built up around the pedestal, and the stone crawled upward, covering Ragnok's hands and arms.

"This memory, I offer to you as my proof; I swear upon my name and my ancestors that every moment shown here is true." Ragnok intoned. By Sharptooth's slight start, Harry guessed this kind of oath was not a very common one, and very powerful.

And as Ragnok spoke the final words, the glowing of the lines of runes seemed to settle before the stone itself appeared completely smooth. It showed a small office, Ragnok of Guldvak's office to be precise, and the constructor building a chair piece by piece in a way that was obviously not magic, and not current muggle technology either.

Then the scene shifted to an infinite void, empty except for small pricks of light in the distance. Then, only a few seconds later there was a glow along the edges of the window, before the view finished rotating and Earth itself appeared in the viewscreen, so close that if Harry reached out a hand he could have sworn he would touched it.

There was a collective releasing of breath as the goblins caught sight of the planet, and Harry could almost see them comparing it to the maps of the world. For beings that likely didn't know of the Americans landing on the moon, seeing this image for the first time would be indescribable.

Ragnok cleared his throat after a few moments, allowing his people to restore their composure.

"My reaction to that sight was much like yours, my subjects, and yet it does not compare to the final memory I will show you."

Ragnok blinked once and the image of Earth faded, only to be replaced with a room covered in artistic carvings, left empty save for the stargate held in the middle of a pedestal. Memory Harry was standing in front of the memory-Ragnok's vision, hand outreached toward the gate and a look of concentration on his face. Then a few seconds later the gate was dialed, the wormhole forming completely stable.

There was a stunned silence among the goblins as the gate activated, the wormhole surface looking like a vertical pool of water to them while Harry knew it was anything but.

His memory self walked next to the king, and gestured toward the gate. Ragnok hesitated for less than a second before he gestured back, and Harry stepped by his side; they would walk through together.

The memory Ragnok strode up to the gate, touching the surface with his fingers cautiously and watching the ripples form on the surface. And then, he moved forward into a darkness that lasted for several seconds before they reappeared in a sunny room with a large tree, the same that Harry had grown for his first Christmas.

It was night, and when Ragnok's memory self looked up to the skies, there was no similar pattern, nothing at all familiar about them.

After that final image was shown, the image broke apart, the magics creating the screen dissipating while the rock covering the King's arms retreated back into the pedestal.

The silence was absolute, so much that Harry could faintly hear the roars of dragons off in the vaults.

Ragnok lifted his head, looking down into the crowds and speaking softly, almost like a parent to a child. "We have a chance to live with no wizards telling us what we can or cannot do, to tunnel beneath the ground as our ancestors did before us."

"What say you to this chance?"

The masses shifted, looking amongst themselves as if it the answer would appear in each other's faces. But slowly, almost tentatively, there was a sense of agreement, of excitement, and roars of approval came up from the crowds below.

"Then as my people wish, we shall create our new home." Ragnok intoned, and the cavern rang with the sound of goblin cheers.

* * *

July 5th

Antarctica

The ancient outpost had been greatly improved since the first time Harry had visited to restock it.

Constructors, in anticipation of the goblin migration through the Stargate, had been working on expanding the size of the outpost, creating a small cavern near the gate to receive incoming travelers (by goblin portkey). Lights had been installed throughout the halls, drawing miniscule amounts of power from the reactors powering the control chair.

On top of that, Harry had asked Ragnok to create a set of wards across the entire complex that made it impossible for wizards and muggles to discover. The only way in or out of the place would be by beaming or goblin portkey. The Stargate was now set to only one location, the new goblin homeworld, which as of yet had no name. It did however, have a copious amount of wildlife and plant-life, some of it quite similar to Earth's own. No dangerous parasitical species or bacteria had been discovered on the world, and Harry planned on ridding the bodies of the goblins of any diseases that could interact with the local wildlife. And of course, there was no sentient race currently inhabiting the planet from what he could tell.

Harry had originally worried about all of the goblins knowing about what he could do, but Sharptooth had asked him a question that neatly put those fears to rest.

Why would a goblin betray him to the wizards if said goblin was far more likely to get rich moving to a new mining ground?

After months of debate and selection, the first group of settlers would be arriving at any moment, and though he felt nervous, Harry was also excited.

Ragnok and his advisors had decided against moving every single goblin from the world at once, instead they would slowly colonize the planet, building infrastructure with advanced teams of builders under the ground. Then other groups of goblins would start to move in, expanding the structures and facilities for those that came after them until the planet would be able to support them fully.

This process would take at least a decade, but it also gave the goblins and the magical world(once the goblins announced they were closing the banks) time to readjust the Magical Economy.

It was a slow, cautious approach, but one that Merlin (after he got over his annoyance with Harry disobeying his decision) agreed with wholeheartedly.

* * *

August 20

Paradise

With the magic generator mostly worked out, Harry and Merlin had made great strides in working with the naquadria, having created a method of transferring the energy bleed off from radiation into capacitors. Magic allowed them to keep the particles within a set radius, and they took great advantage of that.

The main problem with creating a stable generator with the material was just that, the material was inherently stable. And unfortunately, part of the reason why naquadria generated so much power was that instability. As of yet, they had not found a way to keep the element completely stable while pushing energy through it. However, through experimentation they did find out the point at which the material started to destabilize, a value that was related to the mass of naquadria used.

So now, they were working on a multilevel reactor. At first, power would be pushed through a small piece of naquadria. Once that block reached its instability point, the energy stream would be diverted to the second stage, with twelve different blocks sharing the original stream and pushing energy into the ship's systems. As the ship required more power, more power would be diverted into the naquadria and amplified, then if the power was too much to safely use, the energy would be directed to the next level, and the next, until the reactor was fully saturated.

Their designs looked like a sphere about two meters in diameter, not at all bad for a first model, which was more for the Ares class ships than the Hermes class. Once the generator was built, shielding would be placed around every level in case of an overload, and the remaining naquadria beamed out of the reactor before it was ejected into space.

When they worked out the design flaws, a single naquadria reactor would be enough to cover all the systems of the Ares while under heavy bombardment ten times over, when it normally took all nine generators to power the ship.

* * *

September 3

The newest Hermes was in fact very different from its original incarnation. Its engines were more powerful, revamped from the admittedly rushed designs of the original Hermes to move at far greater Hyperspace speeds. This was also because of the usage of magic in the design, coating the internal pathways to accept a far higher amount of energy without being damaged in the process.

The engines had also been redesigned, harking back to the more triangular shapes preferred by the Lanteans instead of the circular ones more favored in Earth designs. The rear door was removed, and in its place there was both a ring transporter and the standard beam transporters built into the ship, coming down from the center of its body.

The pulse weapons, also thanks to the energy refracting techniques, had increased by 78% in efficiency, creating a much more powerful pulse of energy for the same drain from the reactors. It was also thanks to this redesign that the power tolerance was nearly 300% that of before, and would allow vastly more powerful attacks, at the risk of burning out the weapons at higher levels. And unlike the previous version, the pulse weapons were located at the back near the engines, attaching to the ends of the 'wings'.

Unfortunately, they had yet to figure out how the piercing spell could be tied directly into the energy pulse, so that was not yet ready.

Exploration of the expansion charms used by wizards allowed Harry to design a compartment capable of holding ten times the previous complement of drones, 1280, able to launch from two points along the hull as in the first incarnation. Using this same ability, Harry had also managed to squeeze in a copy of the exercise room and a small kitchen into the ship while reducing the number of bedrooms to eight.

But the crown jewel of all the improvements was the hull, three meters thicker than before and the energy refracting field applied every nanometer. Any much more than that and the fields would start to interact with each other, and there was no telling what would happen then.

The only downside to the energy refracting field was time. Because the energy field had to be applied when the beaming was not in use, the construction lasted far longer, nearly four times the amount of time it would normally take for the Hermes class ship.

The ship ran on the same nine naquada generators(internally coated for even greater efficiency), but it would probably be redesigned again once the naquadria generator was finalized in a few months; it was more of a proof of concept anyway.

Harry had the new ship move 300,000 kilometers away from Paradise, followed by the three Ha'tak they had constructed for testing. Already he could see the ship was much more maneuverable compared to its predecessor, accelerating at a greater pace.

As he gave the order, the three Ha'tak opened fire on the new ship, which was facing directly toward them. Just the size of it made it hard for the imprecise staff cannons to hit, so Harry had the Hermes move closer as if it were beginning an attack run.

Now more orange bolts were able to strike the ship, flaring against the shields without any noticeable strain. Merlin hadn't expected any, but it was still nice to see the shields were in fact as good as he claimed.

To test the hull, Harry slowly dialed down the power being fed to the shields, allowing some of the energy to bleed through. At fifty percent bleed, the ship seemed to be suffering no damage to the hull whatsoever, and as he dialed down the shields, there was only minimal damage, the energy seeming to splash against the hull in ripples like drops of water on a pond.

Eventually, he had the ship drop its shields altogether, watching the orange bolts strike against the hull and disperse. After five minutes of continuous hits, the hull was starting to deteriorate, and Harry ordered the Ha'tak to stop and return to Paradise before powering down.

He then ordered the lightly damaged Hermes to return back to the planet for repairs, and contacted Merlin to start building the Ares class with the same types of improvements.

* * *

October 31

Harry was really liking this new Hardsuit.

He was currently in the obstacle room, running the course with the weapons on their highest difficulty, and he was having so much fun!

The original hardsuit had been designed with the basic personal energy shield in mind, only having a single shield generator located in the chest, and using a basic naquada reactor.

Now, the suit was powered by a small scale spherical naquadria reactor, completely shielded so the radiation would not harm him. Because of the far greater power, the suit's shielding was now more segmented, much like the shields on ships instead of a round bubble, and had the capability for cloaking the user.

And if that wasn't enough, they had added the same modifications to the armor as they had to the new Hermes. When Harry was wearing it, not a single stunning blast was able to get through to him. They had designed a visor so his head wasn't vulnerable, tying the suit's sensors directly to the visor so that Harry's vision would not be limited. Harry still preferred to not have a visor around him, but he dutifully practiced with it on.

The arms and hands now contained miniature constructors held within a time dilation field, and the fingertips on his hands allowed Harry control of some of the more basic spells used by the wizards. The time dilation fields would allow him to build anything he needed within a few seconds, or even allow him to repair his suit, or Andrew's, if necessary.

Harry leapt upward, using his telekinesis to twist around a trio of bolts before landing on his feet like a cat, nimbly moving back and forth between the complicated maze Merlin had created to fully test him. A thought had the constructor in his right hand form a metal plate a meter in diameter, which was flung in front of him before shuddering from a flurry of energy bolts meant to hit him instead.

He stumbled at the mental ping in his mind, calling him to the cafeteria. It was Sirius' and Harry, despite knowing the man was a prankster, thought he had impressed the point of not using the call for help unless it was completely necessary.

He beamed himself directly to the cafeteria, knowing the course would stop once he disappeared from the room.

What he hadn't been expected was his brother in the middle of a seizure on the ground, his fists clenching and mouth open in a soundless scream.

"What happened?" He barked at the man, and Sirius shrugged violently, his eyes wide and fearful. "I don't know, one minute we were just talking, the next he fell out of his seat clawing at his head!"

Sirius was panicked, and Harry didn't blame him, he was barely keeping himself in check as it was. "Get everyone else here while I try to help him." He commanded, and Sirius seemed to jump a little before he disappeared with a pop.

Harry reached out with his telekinesis and gently held his brother's limbs in place, focusing his power through the hard-suit amplifiers to keep himself from tiring. At the same time he had the scanners look over his brother to see what was wrong.

The scanners showed nothing wrong with any of his major organs, and it was only on the third scan that Harry noticed the strain on the "magic gland" and promptly called in one of the newer constructors.

There was a series of pops as the wizards all reappeared in the room. Andromeda and Lily rushed over, the mediwitch already casting diagnostic spells. Harry had the scans cease in case of interference, feeding the information into the database of magic in order for a comparison.

"What's wrong with him?" Lily cried, terrified. She was barely keeping herself from rushing forward, only her knowledge that Andromeda needed concentration making her stay in her place.

Harry ignored her as the analysis of the information flooded into his mind. He felt sick when he realized there was some kind of tether on his brother's gland, a sick perversion of the protean charm, according to what the scanner told him.

"There is some kind of leech on his magical..core." Harry said, revulsion coloring his voice.

"What!?" James bounded over as Andromeda finished casting nearly twenty seconds of spells.

"There is definitely something wrong with his magical core." She said, looked tired and worried. Harry could tell she had no idea what this was. as if she had no idea what this was.

"Well how do we fix it then?" James nearly snapped. Not that anyone blamed him, given the situation.

Harry beamed a small time dilator to him as the pain readings increased, then quickly shoved it away, realizing that it might make things even worse for all he knew.

"The magic attacking him is increasing with every minute." He said softly, staring at the reading and frantically searching his mind for what it reminded of.

"No." He whispered.

"What, what is it?" James turned to him, his eyes nearly blazing in fear and anger.

"It looks like a tracking spell mixed with the tether, and...it looks like it is coming from Earth."

"Well obviously its coming from Earth, but how do we get rid of it?" James retorted sarcastically, his fists clenched so hard they were nearly drawing blood.

Harry didn't answer, seeing the pain readings spike again. He couldn't waste any more time explaining things.

"I'm sorry, I promise to keep him safe." He said, before he sent a burst of information to Merlin and beamed both his brother and himself up to the Hermes, jumping to Hyperspace the moment they were aboard. There was nothing else he could do but bring his brother back to Earth, whatever was affecting him seemed to be based on proximity, so once he got to Earth he'd be able to find what was affecting his brother and hopefully destroy it. If his brother got worse, then he would have to put him in stasis, despite not knowing how he would react to it.

There was no other choice.

They appeared in Earth's upper atmosphere in less than ten seconds of hyperspace, the new Hermes not even needing to strain itself to reach the speeds. He had the Hermes scan for the energy binding itself to Andrew, and found the other end coming from a suspiciously familiar location in England.

Hogwarts.

* * *

Dumbledore was feeling a bit nervous as the seconds crawled by, Andrew's slip of paper still held in his hand. The Goblet of Fire was said to be an incredibly powerful artifact, and he had fully expected it to be able to bring Andrew out of whatever wards he was hiding behind. But it hadn't, which meant that either the wards were far more powerful than those of Hogwarts, or...

He shook his head to himself, the boy was not dead, the tracking devices had proven that he was still alive, and he knew they would not fail. They were a very subtle piece of magic, designed to be hard to detect, and he was rather proud of them.

But if Andrew was not coming, then the Goblet would believe him to be ignoring the magical contract and drain the magic out of the boy.

He had thought that it was a possibility for this to happen, but had dismissed it. Even if the boy hated England, it would be better for him to return than to not and die.

And yet, the seconds continued to pass.

Just as he started to think the boy was truly dead two figures dressed in strange clothing appeared in the middle of the Great Hall.

One of them was on the ground, trembling, while the other was standing, his gaze sharp and focused on his surroundings. And then killing curse green eyes locked onto the goblet of fire. A noiseless snarl crossed the teen's lips as he saw the goblet, and with a gesture a staff seemed to appear out of nowhere, much like a wand from its holster. But the staff was strange, nothing like the kind of wizarding staff used in the past. Instead it was thin and rounded at the ends, and most disturbingly, appeared to be made of some kind of purple gray-metal instead of wood.

Mithril, the rarest of all earth materials, and forbiddingly expensive even to purchase a single ounce, if one was able to find any.

Dumbledore jerked out of his seat in alarm. a shielding spell already on his lips, and the teen's gaze turned onto him almost immediately, the staff pointed directly at his chest.

"Whatever you did to Andrew, release it now." He hissed. There was a sense of energy around him, like the air itself was roiling in his anger, and Dumbledore felt the slightest bit of fear before he forced it away. He had dealt with Tom Riddle in his alter ego, he could deal with a child in his mid teens.

The name was spoken in confusion by the students around them, then growing murmurs as the students connected the name coming out of the goblet to the name Harry had spoke.

"I am afraid there is nothing that I can-" Dumbledore found himself cut off as the boy leapt forward at a speed he couldn't hope to react to, the staff pointed at his neck before the rest of the professors could even reach for their wands.

A dull orange glow seemed to emanate from the head of the staff, a sense of searing heat.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked him, ignoring the paralyzing fear that came from the students around him. He couldn't afford to be distracted, not while his brother was like this, in pain.

"The goblet of fire chose him, he must compete or he will loose his magic, and possibly his life." Dumbledore said softly and without fear. Harry would have bashed the man's head with the staff if it wasn't for the guttural roar coming from his right. He barely spared a glance to the giant of a man before gesturing with his right hand, pushing his telekinesis through the hardsuit and holding the man in place.

Hagrid froze, straining against the force holding him down, and Harry turned his attention back to the rapidly paling old man in front of him. Directed wandless magic, at this age? Not even Tom had managed such power! And on top of that it had worked against a half giant.

"I'll ask you again, are you _sure_ there is no way for Andrew to get out of the contest safely?" Harry demanded.

Dumbledore, having no other chance at drawing his wand, did the only thing he could. Legilimency.

The probe darted forward, into the child's mind, only to encounter a wall of unimaginable strength and bouncing off. Dumbledore retracted the probe, hiding a wince at the sudden headache.

"I would not try to read my mind again, _Dumbledore._ Harry hissed again, and for a moment the heat flared before settling down.

"How do I get him out of this contract?" Harry demanded, pushing the staff even closer to the old man's neck.

Dumbledore didn't answer, as he had already told the boy the only way.

"If you don't tell me, then I will have to destroy the goblet." Harry threatened, projecting a feeling of sincerity loud enough for the entire head table to feel.

"The only way to break the enchantment is for him to compete." Another member of the head table, a giant of a woman spoke after no one else did. Harry felt only sincerity and the slightest amount of fear from her, and when he pushed against her mind he felt details of her being the headmistress of another participating school, and that she was going to be staying on the grounds in some massive carriage.

Andrew groaned a bit as he stirred, and Harry gave Dumbledore a nasty look before stepping away from him and helping his brother up.

"You alright?" He asked softly, and Andrew nodded tiredly, nearly sagging against him. His entire body was trembling.

"They say you have to compete in some kind of tournament, and then the magic will release you." Harry whispered to him.

Andrew looked wary and weary as he looked around them, seeing the hostile glares leveled at Harry for attacking Dumbledore and only feeling more unhappy with the situation. He had thought that by leaving Earth he would be out of reach from the wizarding world, and yet they were still able to do this to him? Would he ever be safe from these people?

Dumbledore stared, trying to read the boy's lips.

_"I'm taking as many scans as I can right now, but until I know how it was able to attack you like that you'll have to stay."_ Harry said in Lantean, knowing that Andrew's translator would be able to understand.

"Will you stay with me?" Andrew asked almost fearfully, and Harry rolled his eyes before giving a weak punch to his shoulder.

_"What kind of question is that?" _Harry asked him, teasing, then his expression hardened as he turned to look back at the old man that had caused his brother so much grief.

"Andrew will participate in your tournament if only to release the tether on his core, but he will not be having accommodations inside of this school." He announced to the room.

"Especially considering what happened to him the last time he was here." He added as Dumbledore looked ready to object.

At the edges of the room, the students were starting to whisper to each other as they realized the scope of what was happening. The foreign students looked particularly interested into what Harry was referring to. Unnoticed, several students with a yellow and black patch on their robes shifted uncomfortably at the reminder.

The French Headmistress came to his rescue "A champion does not need to reside within a specific place, it is...more of a tradition than anything else."

Harry gave her a nod of thanks, then looked at the Headmaster pointedly. "If there is anything else?"

"You will need to meet your fellow champions." Dumbledore admitted, almost sullenly. This was not going at all how he had expected. For one thing, Andrew was supposed to have shown up alone, pulled by the goblet's travel magics. The fact that another came with him said that whoever this other boy was, he or whatever group he was a part of had a method of tracing the goblet's magic, a very rare skill.

"Then we'll do that." Harry said, looking pointedly around the room as if the other champions would just appear.

"The door behind the goblet." The French Headmistress added helpfully, and he felt a sort of smug satisfaction coming from her as Dumbledore's expression soured even more. It seemed she enjoyed tweaking Dumbledore.

Harry pushed his brother forward, his hands at the ready, then pushed open the doors, leading to a comfortable looking room with a fireplace and chairs and occupied by three students. Two were boys, one tall dark and gloomy and the other also tall, but blond and seemed to have a cheerful disposition. At least until he saw Andrew and then he rapidly paled.

Confused, Harry touched the surface of the boy's thoughts, then pulled out, an angry snarl cutting across his face.

The door slammed open behind them, and it seemed like the three heads of schools, along with several other officials were coming in. The sound made Harry whirl around, nearly stunning them, but Andrew quickly touched him in the shoulder and whispered to him to calm down.

Harry took a slow breath, forcing himself not to act on the information now in his mind and keep calm.

"I don't believe it...after all these years the boy who lived has come back to Hogwarts!" A jovial looking man with a rather pouchy belly spoke first, nearly bouncing in place. His expression was the only resembling such, the other expressions coming from them seemed rather severe, especially when they looked at Harry.

Harry was completely unrepentant, looking back at them as if they were the ones at fault. And to him, it was their fault, if they had been paying more attention to the goblet then his brother would not even be in this situation.

"Yes, quite interesting how an untrained wizard believed to be dead all this time would reappear so suddenly." This time it was a gaunt looking man, who spoke with an accent Harry could not place. Somewhere in Eastern Europe. The man's mind was a cesspool of fear and greed.

"He should not have come." The French champion gave Andrew a nasty look as if he were something a dog left on the ground. Harry's eyes narrowed at her hostility, did she really think that Andrew would have put his name in?

"Andrew wouldn't have come if it weren't for that blasted goblet." Harry growled right back at her. "We would have been happy to let you all think he was dead."

Well that was a way to kill the mood. Even the bouncy man seemed to still at that admission.

"But he's the boy-"

"Who never wanted any part of his fame, nor cared to be mobbed by his classmates whenever he was in sight." Harry retorted cuttingly.

There was another silence, then the French Headmistress spoke up. "Monsieur..."

"Emrys."

She looked at him a bit strangely, then shook her head as if she thought he was using it as a false name. He didn't correct her.

"There is another issue to consider with Monsieur Potter being here for the tournament...he is not of one of the three schools, and the tournament rules state that only students of the participating schools can participate in the tournament." There was only sincerity in her tone and mind.

Harry froze for a moment, looking at Dumbledore's smug expression, then turned to Andrew.

"_She's telling the truth Andrew;_ _It looks like you'll have to be part of a school, which one?"_

Dumbledore started at the language, knowing it sounded incredibly like latin, but the meanings of the words escaped him.

"I don't want any of them." Andrew whispered harshly. Harry sighed and asked.

"What happens if he isn't a part of one of the schools?"

The French headmistress looked uncomfortable. "Then on the day of the first task, the goblet would take his magic for breaking the agreement."

"But I didn't even want to be in this tournament!" Andrew burst out, looking around the room. How could I be forced to enter if I wasn't the one to enter my own name?"

Karkaroff scoffed under his breath while none of the other wizards said a word.

"_Andrew, I promise I'll stick with you wherever you go, just please choose one."_ Harry nearly begged him, not wanting Andrew to make a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I...do I have to sleep in the dorms of the school?" He asked, forgetting for a moment that Harry already asked that question.

Dumbledore opened his mouth, but Maxime beat him to the punch. "No, you may have your own accommodations so long as they are within the grounds of the school, as champions often need time and space to focus on training and research for the tasks."

Andrew gave Harry a miserable look and Harry nodded in return.

"Then I choose Hogwarts." He murmured, only because he had no idea what would happen if he was forced to learn with the other schools. Better the devil you knew and all that.

"Excellent." Bagman clapped his hands, seemingly impervious to the animosity coming his way from the two brothers.

"Now that that's settled, lets talk about what is happening in the tournament:

There are three tasks you all must compete in; they will test your bravery, your cunning, and your resourcefulness as wizards..and witches." He hastily tacked on, seeing the French girl's venomous look at his omission.

"The First Task will take place on November 24th and will test your daring and courage in the face of the unknown, so we aren't telling you what you will face, its a surprise!"

Harry glowered at the man's excitement. It wasn't him that was participating in this farce! And when he found out who put his brother's name in the cup...

Andrew nudged him at the dark expression crossing his face, and Harry abruptly straightened. He wasn't a violent person, he normally hated the thought of hurting another.

Unbidden, the image of his brother writhing on the floor came into his head and he clenched his fists. In this case, he would make an exception, maybe remove the magic gland of the wizard and send them to one of the Goa'uld as a slave?

"You will all need to attend a weighing of the wands on the thirteenth, we will let you know where." The older almost skeletal looking man finally spoke, and as Harry reached out to him he felt a sense of wrongness ring through the man, like he wasn't in control of himself. He shuddered minutely. Best to keep his brother away from someone like that.

"Now you all know.., so off you go champions, and congratulations on being selected for the Triwizard tournament!" Bagman finished, and Harry rolled his eyes before he grabbed Andrew's arm to steady him. He looked like he was about to collapse.

"Lets get you out of the castle." He whispered in Andrew's ear, before he turned around to find the old man standing in front of him again.

"Mr. Emrys, I would like to know where you and Mr. Potter will be staying for the tournament."

The man got points for persistence, but he was seriously starting to annoy Harry. This man had been why his brother had suffered so much in school, and hadn't even bothered to investigate who had left Andrew out in the middle of the forest at midnight. Or maybe he had, and covered up the evidence?

"I believe that you have no right to ask." Harry replied, and took a step forward.

Dumbledore refused to budge. "If you do not have a safe place, then I must insist that Andrew stay in the castle, his classmates were devastated when they believed him dead, I would not like for that to happen in actuality."

Harry stared at the man for his audacity. From what Andrew had told him of that time, nearly the entire school was against him, _afraid_ of him. The only reason that the school could have missed Andrew would be for his fame and celebrity.

"No." He said, and he twitched his pointer finger.

Against his will, Dumbledore found his lips being forced shut, and not by any spell.

"The last time Andrew was under your _care_ he nearly died, stung by an acromantula in the forbidden forest. If it wasn't for me being a paranoid bastard about his safety, then he wouldn't have survived."

He took another step forward, his eyes seeming to glow with restrained rage. "He was under _your _care, and yet a bunch of his housemates were able to get into his room and take him out of it without so much as an alarm!"

He took a deep breath, and various objects around the room stopped vibrating.

"I will be attending all of Andrew's classes, to protect him if nothing else." He said, then lifted his palm.

Dumbledore's eyes bulged as he felt himself lifting above the ground. He looked for help, only to pale further when he saw the others in the room were similarly restrained.

"Leave Andrew alone, and I will play nice. Anyone that threatens him, threatens _me._ Understand?"

He felt the resistance around his head lessen, and he nodded as quickly as he could manage.

"Good." Harry smiled, but there was a hint of something darker in it. He then gestured at Dumbledore, and the man found himself moved out of the way.

Andrew found himself blinking rapidly. He had never thought he would see the venerable old headmaster look so vulnerable.

"Come on Andrew, you have a long day tomorrow."

Andrew grimaced, holding back a yawn at the reminder. His head still ached from the goblet's magic.

Harry turned around and smirked at the still frozen Dumbledore before he had the Hermes mark II, now hovering just within the edge of the 'wards' a signal. They disappeared, and almost immediately the wizards in the room found themselves released.

Dumbledore wasn't sure what scared him more, the fact that Andrew and his..friend? had managed to apparate within the wards or that his friend was able to restrain them all so easily. With _wandless _magic at that!

Not to mention the staff...which only the most powerful of wizards and witches were able to wield. If the unknown young wizard was using a staff at his current age, how powerful would he be when he was fully grown?

Now that the boy was no longer here threatening him(and he hated that, hated the fact that the unnamed boy was able to hold him so easily), Dumbledore found his mindset shifting from combat to what Minerva would term his 'scheming' mindset.

The prophecy had spoken of a power that the Dark lord (Voldemort, of course) would not have, and of a marking, much like the scar on Andrew's forehead. But seeing how this boy had been so powerful, and was an ally or maybe even a friend of Andrew, he wondered if the power Tom knew not was not love after all. Could it be that whatever group had hidden the Potters from the rest of the world for nearly two years would be the downfall of Tom?

If so, he would need to find a way to get in contact with them. He felt uncomfortable at the idea of a group of wizards that taught their children to use wandless magic so easily; it was far harder, and more dangerous to permanently bind the magic of a wizard directly than it was to snap their wand.

In fact, this was why using wands was so engrained into their culture, it kept the populace mostly in line, allowing law enforcement to track what spells they used and snapping their only way of casting magic if they committed a horrible enough crime.

However, given the boy's power; his fear of the unknown was not worth squandering this chance to rid the world of Tom Riddle.

And once the Dark Lord was out of the way, Dumbledore would have to find some way to restrain their power, to limit them like the rest of Wizardkind.

For the Greater Good.

* * *

Sunday, November 1

Harry woke up in his bed aboard the Hermes, blinking slowly before jolting upright as the events of the day before flooded into his mind.

He groaned out loud, knowing that once Merlin heard how he had acted, he would be sore for days afterward.

Harry hadn't meant to react so rashly. Seeing his brother, or anyone that he treated as part of his family(the adult wizards on Paradise were not quite there yet, but he was warming up to them) hurt was like a knife through his heart, he couldn't bear it.

Seeing his brother thrashing on the ground had made him feel vulnerable and helpless, and that was something he could not stand. He had spent years being helpless, he wasn't about to let that happen to him again. Not with all the things he had done to improve himself.

Still, his reaction, though justified, had been stupid. Now everyone in the school knew that he was powerful, and that was an advantage he should have waited to use.

He stood up, stretching as he got out of the bed, before he called the hard-suit to him. He held his hands out, allowing the various pieces to put themselves together around his body before moving. The suit gave him a mental ping and he nodded to himself before activating the hologram that imitated his skin and clothing.

He walked up to the bridge, brushing his hands along the walls and pondering how boring they looked before shaking his head to himself.

The viewscreen activated the moment he entered the room, showing him the mountains and lake below. If it weren't for the circumstances, Harry would have thought the location was quite beautiful.

After a few moments of looking at the view, he turned around and sat in the control chair.

Almost immediately a priority message popped up in front of him from the night before.

Harry pinched his nose, feeling more than a little foolish for not telling the wizards back on Paradise that Andrew was now alright. After last night's excitement, he had been more absorbed in making sure the Hermes was completely undetectable by any magical means and checking over his sleeping brother than wondering about how his brother's family would be feeling.

He quickly composed a message telling Merlin that they were both fine, though restricted to the castle in Scotland while Harry figured out how to release his brother from the magical artifact affecting him. He also promised to call them later tonight, once they got back from Andrew's forced day at the school.

He paused then, wondering what they needed to do to enroll his brother again, if only for the duration of the tournament, and groaned to himself before getting up from the chair and going to wake up Andrew.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall nearly jumped out of her skin when Andrew and Harry appeared in her office without a sound.

"How did you get in here?" She nearly demanded, and only received an amused glance in return from Harry.

Andrew didn't say a word, but his entire posture screamed resentment. He remembered all too well how helpful the headmistress had been the last time he was here. Meaning no help at all.

"We are here because Andrew needs to be registered for classes for the year." Harry said calmly, not reacting to her angry expression except for a slightly raised eyebrow.

Her expression straightened slightly, but she was still giving them suspicious glances as she moved over to a cabinet in her office and retrieved a few forms.

"Normally the forms are signed by the parents once their children are born." she stated, looking at Andrew as if this was all his fault.

"Well this isn't exactly a normal situation then is it?" Harry retorted nastily. He did not like the way she was acting. So what if Andrew was inconveniencing her with paperwork? He had been put into this situation by force.

The deputy headmistress seemed to stiffen before she said. "No, it is not." and she held out both a form and a quill.

As Andrew reached out for it Harry shook his head and levitated the quill over to him, scanning it. He had quite a few discussions with Sirius and his wife about the dangers of unknown objects, and given that his brother had been forced to come here, he wasn't taking any chances with his security.

She looked affronted as he said. "No enchantments or anything else." before handing it to Andrew to sign the forms for a temporary admission, normally one that was used for transfer students from other countries.

Andrew signed the piece of paper after it too was scanned, and McGonagall took it back with her lips pursed.

"Is that all?" She asked crisply.

Harry rolled his eyes before gesturing toward the door. He saw no reason to be polite to her if she wasn't going to do the same.

* * *

November 2

Andrew was promptly resorted into Gryffindor in the middle of breakfast, most definitely not his first choice. It was still better than hufflepuff though, at least they hadn't tried to kill him.

What Harry didn't like was how the entire house of lions started cheering like lunatics, and before his brother could go sit down he grabbed his arm and shook his head before looking at the wall near the great hall doors.

He winked to his brother as he held out his hand and gestured at the wall, the constructor in his suit quickly building a table. Then, as if he didn't have a care in the world, he levitated the small kitchen table down the middle of the aisle before creating two chairs for them to sit in near the wall. In front of the entire hall, they both sat down, ignoring the spaces opening up at the Gryffindor table, before some food appeared in front of them, courtesy of the Hermes.

Andrew was barely keeping his mouth from twitching. The looks on their faces were just priceless.

Though annoyed at the blatant refusal to rejoin one of the house tables, Dumbledore kept himself from saying anything, knowing it was perfectly fine for students to sit at other tables within the room if they wished. Not that any of the current students knew that. He would prefer that it stay that way.

* * *

Their first class was nothing short of bizarre for Harry, watching the students pot "bouncing bulbs". He hadn't even known that plants could move that way.

Andrew, on the other hand, was feeling more and more uncomfortable with every passing minute. The plant was struggling in his hands, and the stares of the other students would not stop. Even if he turned to look at them, they would quickly look away as if they hadn't been doing anything, but he could still feel their eyes on him when he looked back to his bulb.

If the first class was bizzare, then the second, Care of Magical creatures, was completely insane. First of all, the creatures they were handling were known as blast ended skrewts, and secondly, they looked much like someone had crossed a crustacean with a scorpion and then gave it explosive propulsion. Thirdly, they were an average of three feet long and looked to be incredibly strong for their size.

The man that was carrying them out did not look very happy to see him at all, glowering at Harry for a moment before he noticed the rest of the class being there and turned to them, explaining that they were going to take the things for a walk.

Harry stared at the man incredulously before he gave his brother a look that asked whose bright idea it was to let this man teach. Explosive lobster-scorpion things did not sound remotely safe.

The giant man looked as if he wanted to talk to Andrew, before he looked at Harry and shook his head to himself.

"So Potter, you finally came back, done hiding like a coward?" He heard a snide voice and looked around for his brother, eventually finding him cornered by a blond haired boy and two taller boys that looked like bodyguards. Judging by the robes they was wearing they appeared to be in Slytherin.

He cursed himself for not paying attention and moved over towards them without trying to be noticed.

Andrew's fist clenched lightly before he calmed himself. "At least I had a real reason to Malfoy, how many times did you run to daddy when things didn't go your way?"

The pale face tinged red as the boy growled and drew his wand. Harry coated the wand with his telekinesis, ready to grab it in case the boy tried anything.

"Daddy the mean teachers won't give me the grades I deserve, Daddy the students won't respect me, make them!" Andrew taunted, enjoying the Slytherin's rapidly reddening face.

"I'm sorry drakie-poo, have I hurt your feelings?" Andrew taunted again before he turned his back, intending to go over to Hagrid for his skrewt. Malfoy started to cast a spell but found his wand wouldn't move.

"What-the, what did you do to my wand?" He cried, yanking on it as if it would budge.

Andrew turned around in puzzlement before he saw Harry quirk his lips. He rolled his eyes. "_I _didn't do anything Malfoy, are you so weak that you can't even lift a wand anymore?"

Malfoy gave a rather vicious tug and Harry grinned as he released his grip on the wand, allowing the boy to smack himself in the face with it. The blond boy nearly yowled in pain, holding his nose with tears streaming from his eyes.

"Get him!" He pointed at Andrew dramatically, and his two bodyguards looked at each other before lurching forward.

Of course, the last thing they were expecting was for Andrew to put them on the ground a few seconds after they swung at him.

Andrew sniffed in a mockery of the blond boy before turning his back and going up to Hagrid to get one of the skrewts. As he passed Harry he gave a small smile.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a similar way, though there were quite a few admiring looks sent towards Andrew along with the adoration from boy-who-lived fans for how easily he had put down Malfoy's goons.

There were also quite a few mutterings about Harry, the mysterious boy who was the friend of the boy who lived. Harry found it amusing though, that none of the students noticed how similar they looked. Once you got past Andrew's longer hair and Harry's more streamlined form, they were almost like twins. It was almost disturbing that the magicals hadn't even noticed it. Or maybe they had, and decided the idea of the boy-who-lived having a brother was not possible? He shrugged mentally.

At night Harry brought them both back up to the Hermes, setting up a conference call with Paradise so Andrew could speak to his parents as he had done the night before. He let them talk in privacy, before beaming himself down to the school.

He appeared in the middle of the entranceway before his form shifted and disappeared. A silencing field surrounded the now cloaked figure, and he looked up before running down the halls following the path he had planned out from Andrew's description of the school in his letters.

It was relatively easy to find the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room near the kitchens, given Andrew's descriptions of the place. Once he was certain that he had found the doorway he had the scanners look at the portrait, looking for the magic that would 'unlock' the door.

A minute later, and the suit sent out a signal that made the portrait think that password had been said, which let it open.

He walked up the boy's staircase, keeping his senses alert and looking for the sixth year dorms. There were three rooms.

It looked like he would have to see who was in which room. With a touch to the doorknob, he focused his telekinesis through the metal and turned the tumblers until the door unlocked with a soft click.

It took him a few moments to check the beds, and he shook his head before leaving the room and locking the door again.

The second room also did not hold his quarry, but as they said, the third time's the charm.

Cedric Diggory was sleeping peacefully in his bed as Harry created a sound barrier around them for several feet. Then, with a small gesture, he sent the equivalent of the counter spell to stupefy, knowing that it stimulated the brain to wake up as compared to how the stunning spell forced it to sleep.

The blond boy twitched awake and groaned while Harry formed the image of a middle aged, severe looking man over his own. He felt more than a little pleased when the boy fell out of his bed in surprise and fear.

"You tried to kill Andrew Potter." The false voice was far deeper than his own, with just a hint of a menacing growl.

Cedric's eyes widened further as he tried to step back, only to find himself rooted in place.

Harry stared at the boy's fearful expression impassively before he asked. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

The blond boy shook his head fearfully, as if saying anything would make things worse for him when in reality it was the opposite.

"WHY DID YOU TRY TO KILL ANDREW POTTER?" His voice boomed and the sixth year tried to jump back, only to still find himself locked in place.

"I...I was afraid of him, I thought he was trying to kill everyone!" He stammered out, eyes wide and pleading.

He was telling the truth. When Harry brushed against the student's mind he could see the fear of the petrifications, the messages left behind by Slytherin's heir, and through it all he could see Andrew acting angry and isolating himself, behaviors that would make him seem to be the heir, despite his innocence.

But what really made his anger cool was the regret. Diggory had not been the one to come up with the idea, it had been one of his friends from the quidditch team, and he had used his prefect privileges to break into Andrew's room with his friends and take Andrew out. The whole time they had done so, Diggory had been filled with doubt, but his fear of the situation had overcome his logic, and so he had helped them dump his brother in the forbidden forest before running back to the school.

Harry scanned the boy's mind for the faces and locations of the other boys. He wanted to hurt them, wanted to throw them all in the forbidden forest like they had done to his brother, but knew that would be far too suspicious. It would be suspicious if they disappeared at all. With an absent thought he sent a stunner into the boy and watched impassively as he collapsed back onto his bed.

He contemplated creating something to block the offenders magical cores, before he decided on a much simpler solution.

Force the ones that did not feel any regret to tell the truth.

* * *

November 3

As they sat down at a newly recreated dinner table in the Great Hall Andrew noticed that Harry was looking the slightest bit smug.

"What did you do?" He almost demanded, looking around the room as if a prank was about to unfold right on top of the unsuspecting school.

"Justice." Harry stated, before pointedly looking at the Hufflepuff table and looking at the information being relayed to him from the Hermes. Ah, there was the floo coming in. And at least four people came through, moving fast. Absently, he made himself some popcorn while Andrew stared at him in both incredulousness and frustration.

"What did you do?" Andrew repeated more quietly.

"I didn't do anything." Harry denied innocently. "They did."

"Who's they?" Andrew did demand this time, but Harry only smiled and looked at the doors of the great hall.

"What are you...

The doors slammed over as Amelia Bones and three aurors flanking her barged into the great hall.

A great deal of alarm was showing on Dumbledore's face before he managed to school himself, and he got down from the head table.

"I must admit I was not expecting a visit Madame Bones, can you tell me the reason you have come?" He asked politely.

Amelia gestured two of her Aurors toward the Hufflepuff tables. "Two of your students confessed to the _attempted_ murder of Andrew Potter last night Headmaster, and we are here to take them into custody."

As she spoke the two students, Anthony Rickett and Michael McManus, both beaters of the Hufflepuff quidditch team, had magic supressing manacles placed on their wrists and their wands were taken from them. Harry watched the manacles in interest before discreetly scanning the energy signature coming from them.

"Surely this is just a mistake, a misunderstanding?" Dumbledore sounded like he couldn't believe such a thing was happening, but his eyes turned toward Harry and Andrew sitting in their own little section of the room.

Despite the deluge of fans that had tried to get to their table earlier in the day, Harry had easily kept them away with a small shield emitter disguised as a wardstone. The two boys were the only ones sitting in that part of the room, and so her eyes easily followed the old headmaster's before she shook her head.

"I need to investigate their claims Albus, even if this is some kind of cruel prank, it needs to be proven that it is not." Madame Bones returned in a clipped voice, before the Aurors left the hall with their charges.

Andrew turned back to his brother, not able to hide his shock. "Was this what you saw in Diggory's mind?" He asked softly.

Harry did not hesitate, knowing that it would be better if Andrew didn't know Diggory had been part of the plot the entire time. "He learned about it after they did it, but they were his friends so he kept their secret, even if he hated what they did." He then gave Andrew a pointed look before digging into his breakfast, the discussion was over.

Andrew looked between his brother and the door several times, not noticing the calculating look the headmaster was sending their way. Harry did, and his own eyes looked directly into the Headmaster's as the entire hall whispered around them at the new development.

* * *

Authors note:

Bleh, I did not like that ending, but the chapter really needed to end, it is a little over 2000 words greater than the last chapter.

So here is the beginning of the GOF timeline, and it will be the same tasks, except for an increase in their difficulty.

I kinda rushed this one out, so let me know if there are any plot holes or stuff like that, I'll either clarify or fix it later.

Posted: 9/5/13


	17. Chapter 16

Thanks to all the people leaving positive reviews, I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter.

Last Time:

Amelia gestured two of her Aurors toward the Hufflepuff tables. "Two of your students confessed to the _attempted_ murder of Andrew Potter last night Headmaster, and we are here to take them into custody."

As she spoke the two students, Anthony Rickett and Michael McManus, both beaters of the Hufflepuff quidditch team, had magic supressing manacles placed on their wrists and their wands were taken from them. Harry watched the manacles in interest before discreetly scanning the energy signature coming from them.

"Surely this is just a mistake, a misunderstanding?" Dumbledore sounded like he couldn't believe such a thing was happening, but his eyes turned toward Harry and Andrew sitting in their own little section of the room.

Despite the deluge of fans that had tried to get to their table earlier in the day, Harry had easily kept them away with a small shield emitter disguised as a wardstone. The two boys were the only ones sitting in that part of the room, and so her eyes easily followed the old headmaster's before she shook her head.

"I need to investigate their claims Albus, even if this is some kind of cruel prank, it needs to be proven that it is not." Madame Bones returned in a clipped voice, before the Aurors left the hall with their charges.

Andrew turned back to his brother, not able to hide his shock. "Was this what you saw in Diggory's mind?" He asked softly.

Harry did not hesitate, knowing that it would be better if Andrew didn't know Diggory had been part of the plot the entire time. "He learned about it after they did it, but they were his friends so he kept their secret, even if he hated what they did." He then gave Andrew a pointed look before digging into his breakfast, the discussion was over.

Andrew looked between his brother and the door several times, not noticing the calculating look the headmaster was sending their way. Harry did, and his own eyes looked directly into the Headmaster's as the entire hall whispered around them at the new development.

Ch16:

November 6, 1994

Sometimes Merlin wondered if the Ascended above liked screwing with him.

With Andrew being forced into the wizard's tournament and Harry staying with him, he had expected things to be relatively normal around Paradise.

The larger naquadria core designs were finished, and he had started construction of the newest Ares class ship with the time dilators at their most efficient constructor speed. Not the fastest, because that consumed far more resources than the efficient method, and he had thought that there would be no need for the ship anytime soon. The ship would be quite similarly upgraded compared to the Hermes in terms of weapons and internal space, except for the replacement of the nine naquada reactors with a trio of naquadria cores; one of which would be enough to power the ship during battle.

And unfortunately, because of the improvements, the ship would take several months to complete instead of several weeks with the time dilation.

So when he received an alarm from one of their mining areas near the galactic core; concerning _Goa'uld,_ he was understandably annoyed.

And all he had was the Mercury with him. The two Ares class ships by the Beta sphere would take thirty minutes to reach the mining outpost, by then everything would be destroyed.

Merlin growled to himself before he ordered the cargo ships just returning to the mining outpost to charge the goa'uld while the ones carrying material would escape. At the same time, he ordered one of the Ares class ships to push itself at top speed, cursing his shortsightedness in their rushed engine design for the ships.

At the same time, he beamed himself onto the Mercury, knowing that it would be able to reach the outpost first.

Twenty minutes later his ship reappeared in normal space to see nearly three dozen Goa'uld ships firing at the mining ships dodging and swerving around them, using the few weapons they had to distract the ships from destroying the asteroid they had been mining from.

He felt a small amount of pride at how well they were doing against the 34 Goa'uld ships, only seven of the forty cargo ships he had sent to distract had been destroyed, most likely in the crossfire between several of the Ha'tak.

He deactivated his cloak and raised his shields only 300 kilometers away from the nearest Ha'tak. Almost immediately, the ships fanned out while still firing at the cargo ships; they seemed to judge him the greater threat. A correct assumption.

"This is Myrridin Emrys of the Lantean fleet ship Mercury, surrender your ships or be destroyed." Merlin sent out in a transmission, only to receive one a few seconds later.

"You dare tell Lord Montu to surrender? Your arrogance will see you destroyed!" A man flanked by Jaffa with a pair of barbed swords crossed in front of two concentric circles on their foreheads spoke derisively, and in the third person, before the transmission was cut.

Merlin rolled his eyes at the irony of that statement. "Your ships attacked a mining colony with no provocation. I repeat, surrender or you will be destroyed."

There was no answer. A ping from the Mercury told him the enemy Ha'tak were targeting his ship.

Well, at least he tried to convince them peacefully.

Unlike Harry, he had no compunctions about destroying these soldiers, because that was all that they were, soldiers fanatically loyal to the race that had enslaved and brainwashed them. Even if they killed the System Lords, there was a good chance that their soldiers would attack them in revenge for their masters without thinking; there was no way of getting past those engrained beliefs.

The barrage of weapons fire was sudden, but not unexpected. With a thought, the Hermes shot forward and up in a sharp left before flipping on its x axis and firing all four pulse emitters at the same point. The shields of the targeted Ha'tak flared into being, and the Mercury squeezed three more bursts of fire from the pulse emitters before targeting another ship, the first one already being consumed by secondary explosions.

While the Hermes lacked the firepower of the Ares, it was certainly far more maneuverable than its larger cousin. The orange-yellow shields surrounding the ship flared from the few blasts that were able to hit it, and whatever tiny amount of drain there was quickly repaired.

A second Ha'tak detonated in quick order and it was then that his screen registered hundreds of smaller ships coming from the Ha'tak around him. Death Gliders and Al-kesh.

Merlin activated the ship's turrets, watching the precise targeting computer hit the death gliders at far outside their engagement range. It was a bit sad really, these ships were even easier to defeat than the wraith, and he hadn't even started to use the drones yet.

The swarm of smaller Goa'uld ships finally came into weapons range, lobbing bolts of plasma at high speed. But unfortunately for them, the Mercury was only a little over twice their size, and these ships were not the best for dogfighting, being mostly designed to instill fear into less advanced populations with bombing and strafing runs.

Merlin shook his head. What was the point of having a weapon if your ships were not precise enough to hit the target?

The staff cannons of the Al'kesh and the Death gliders that were lucky enough to get a hit blossomed against the shields, but they held strong. The ship was barely jarred by the blasts, yet for every second that passed, twenty Goa'uld fighters were targeted and destroyed by the energy turrets. Despite their lack of success their fellow pilots just kept coming.

An alert popped up in the ship's information center, and Merlin let out a smile.

"I'll give you one last chance to surrender your ships Montu, take it or die."

Well that seemed to provoke a response.

"You shall be the one to surrender! Even if you were able to destroy two of my ships, your puny ship is no match for the rest of mine; you will be destroyed!" Montu shouted, spittle flying from his mouth in his rage at his ships being destroyed almost casually.

As if to contradict his last statement, the Ares burst out of hyperspace a fair distance away from the Goa'uld, shields raised and weapons charging in seconds. Merlin quickly beamed himself through the shields and sent the Hermes to destroy the thousands of goa'uld fighters attacking it.

The comparison between their ships was laughable.

While the Goa'uld designed their Ha'tak for versatility, having sixty staff cannons placed around the circumference of the superstructure, they were unable to adequately power all of them at once, and were only able to attack a ship with a third of their weapons at a time. Also, their width and height made them much easier targets from a forward profile compared to the Ares, as it was only 200 meters wide and 150 in height compared to the 650 wide and 350 high of the Ha'tak. The Ares was also designed with the idea of strafing attacks, flying through an enemy formation with speed and manuverability that belied its size, then coming around for another pass. All of its primary weapons could target independently and fire all at once, even with the secondary weapons firing as well.

For a moment, the Ha'taks seemed to freeze, before switching their targeting scanners to the Ares, while their smaller ships continued to fire on the Mercury and be destroyed in turn.

The Ares charged all eight of its pulse weapons and selected two targets. With an unseen signal, the ship sent the power flooding from the capacitor banks into the pulse weapons, firing each in sequence. The unfortunate Ha'taks they struck shuddered from the first three pulses, shields straining against the heavy firepower being forced on them. But as the fourth pulse hit their shields, they collapsed under the strain and allowed the energy to continue right through the power core, detonating them in a pair of spectacular explosions.

Even as its orange shields flared against the staff cannons, the Ares selected its next two targets and fired, the Goa'uld warships faring no better than their sisters as they too exploded.

Seconds after this, Merlin noted that the positioning of the Ha'taks was changing. All but one of them were moving forward at high speed, charging directly towards the Ares. He quickly had the ship target the closest ones and fire at will, even retargeting the anti-fighter turrets and flooding them with power. Four Ha'tak died in balls of flame, but the others were still getting closer, they were trying to ram him!

He knew the Ares' shields were strong enough to take such a hit, but he was unsure of how many ships ramming into it could take, given the number of Ha'tak still active. And even if his shields could take over twenty ships ramming into them, he didn't want that to be known unless completely necessary. The element of surprise was the most important thing when dealing with such a numerous enemy.

Merlin ordered the Ares to start firing drones, sending as many as he could from the four launchers along the hull. At the same time, he ordered the ship to move forward and to the right, buying the drones more time while the side of the ship facing the Ha'taks whittled them down one by one.

Tiny balls of light flew from his ship at high speed, covering the distance between his ship and the charging Ha'tak in seconds before burning through their shields and detonating in their cores.

At the moment, he wasn't really caring about how many drones he was using, only that they destroyed the enemy ships. Normally, only one drone detonating in the core would be more than enough, but he didn't want to take the chance of the drones being intercepted before reaching their destination.

Explosion after explosion showed on the monitor, and yet there were still ten of the thirty four original Ha'tak. The Mercury, having finished off the fighters attacking it, automatically started attacking the larger ships from behind as Merlin spun the Ares directly towards the enemy ships, firing off a single salvo and destroying two of the Ha'tak.

Another ship was destroyed after the Hermes fired its four pulses into the shields, and three more were wiped out by the drones as the Ares selected two more targets and destroyed them.

The final two ships were hit with multiple pulses and shattered before secondary explosions took them out, so close to the Ares that shrapnel slammed into the shields with minor damage.

And just like that, it was over.

Merlin sighed to himself as he looked over the battlefield, then sent a subspace message to the cargo ships to start mining whatever material they could off of the remains of the Goa'uld ships. After that he ordered all other cargo ships in other mining areas to come to this one to finish it off before another Goa'uld came upon it.

It was only as he finished that order when the Ares told him about the Hyperspace window that had activated during the Ha'taks charge on his ship.

Montu had escaped.

* * *

November 13

The only thing that Harry found positive about being stuck at this backwards school was the number of magical readings he was recording with the sensors.

For some reason, even if Andrew had been held back a year, he had been placed with the fourth year students as if he hadn't. It made Harry wonder just why the headmaster wanted him to be in the same year as those he had been sorted with initially.

Andrew was learning to ignore the admiring looks being sent his way, as well as the not so admiring ones, which were far more common. After the shock of him being alive all of this time had sunk in, the school seemed to be divided into three camps: The foreign students, while interested in how and why Andrew had disappeared for so long, were neutral and did not ask him any questions, though their interest was obvious. The second group was mostly made up of the boy-who-lived fans, who despite being brushed off at every turn, were still rabidly chasing after Andrew. The third, was of course the students that were angry at him, either for 'abandoning' the school, or for taking the glory of Cedric Diggory being a champion away from Hufflepuff, even though Andrew only wore the Gryffindor crest so he would be considered a part of the school for the tournament.

Still, he attended the classes, if only to make sure that he was considered as a student; but he did none of the assignments. Instead he and Harry would often run laps within the obstacle room on the Hermes, and occasionally, around the lake.

He wished more than anything that his parents could come to the planet, but Harry had forbidden it. He did not want the wizards to find a way to harm the Potters, nor have them distract Andrew from training for something that had killed many wizards in the past.

It was true that Andrew had access to Alteran technology, and that was a massive advantage, especially now that for the most part they had figured out how to 'magic proof' it.

But at the same time, he had much less experience with the actual casting of spells, and no combat experience, as in what spells to dodge and what to shield against. The events of this tournament had killed contestants in the past, contestants with three more years of education than his brother.

As a boy ran into the Potions classroom with a note, Harry saw the potions master give him a scathing glare before looking at Andrew's empty cauldron and sneering.

"Your presence is required." He drawled before shoving the note onto Andrew's desk and sweeping away to go yell at another one of the Gryffindor students, a Neville Longbottom. Harry felt a slight amount of pity for the boy, he looked terrified of the potions professor.

Andrew stood up, holding the note in his hand, and Harry read it over his shoulder. The weighing of the wands?

He followed Andrew out of the room, both of them walking in the direction of the great hall, as the note told them to.

Andrew had his hardsuit, which according to the rules of the tournament, would not be considered cheating, as it was not originally a magical item. At least, Harry hoped not, if it was, then he would have to recreate the armor without the magical enhancements.

They entered a fairly small classroom that seemed to have been emptied of all its equipment

*"Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Andrew, in you come; the rest of the judges will be here in a moment -"

"What is the Wand weighing?" Andrew asked nervously.

"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead," said Bagman. "The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter," he added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. "She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet. .. ."

"Maybe not that small, Ludo," said Rita Skeeter, her eyes boring holes into Andrew's own. Harry felt nothing but greed from her.

"I wonder if I could have a little word with Andrew, our long lost boy-who-lived...before we start?" she asked Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Andrew. "The youngest champion, you know. . . to add a bit of color?"

"Certainly!" cried Bagman. "That is - if Andrew has no objection?"

"I do." Harry spoke, his eyes narrowed at the...reporter for the Daily Prophet?

"And who may you be?" Rita asked sweetly, while her emotions were anything but sweet.

"You can think of me as his bodyguard and press officer." Harry replied confidently, then leaned inward. "Which means anything that is printed without my approval will not make me or my employers happy." He finished with a shark like grin.

Immediately her thoughts turned to disbelief; he could almost feel her scoffing at him. It seemed she didn't understand.

In a blink he was suddenly very close to her, barely leaving the witch any personal space. "I would hope that you take my warning seriously Ms. Skeeter, should you otherwise be _burned." _He punctuated his last statement by holding his palm upward in front of her, an orb of fire appearing in his palm before he clenched his fist and made it disappear.

She visibly swallowed at the 'wandless magic', before nodding quickly. Harry stepped away, satisfied. People like her disgusted him; he had no problem putting a little fear into those that used their power to harm others.

Almost immediately, Rita decided it would be best to go interview another one of the champions...on the other side of the room. With a decidedly fake smile fixed on her face, she moved over to the Durmstrang champion and started questioning him.

"What was that for?" Andrew hissed at him, looking between him and the woman with something like distaste.

"She uses her power to write horrible lies and exaggerations about people, and the last thing you need is more stress from people like her giving you a hard time." Harry asserted, his eyes tracking the door as it opened and a wispy looking old man walked in, shortly followed by Dumbledore himself.

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. "He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" The old wandmaker asked before stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.

The French Champion swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand.

Ollivander paused for a moment, considering. With a twirl of the wand between his fingers, it emitted multicolored sparks. A moment later he brought it close to his eyes and looked over it, seemingly for any faults.

"Yes," he murmured, "nine and a half inches. . . inflexible.. rosewood.. . and containing. . . dear me. . ."

"A hair from the head of a veela," said Fleur. "One of my grandmother's."

Harry made a mental note to ask Andrew what a veela was, as he was looking rather slack jawed at the admission.

"Yes," the old man whispered to himself. "Yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands...however, to each his own, and if this suits you.."

He ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, "Orchideous!" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip.

"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order," said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. "Mr. Diggory, you next."

Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her.

"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn. . . must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches. . . ash. . . pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition...You treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night," said Cedric, grinning.

Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, "Mr. Krum, if you please."

Viktor Krum got up and strode over to the old man, thrusting out his wand and scowling with his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"Hmm," said Mr. Olhivander, "this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I. . . however. ."

He lifted the wand and examined it much like he had done with Fleur Delacour's, rotating it and running his fingers along the edge.

"Yes.. . hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees. . . quite rigid. . . ten and a quarter inches. . . Avis!"

The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight.

"Good," said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. "Which leaves. . . Mr. Potter."

Andrew moved forward and walked past the scowling Durmstrang champion to hand over his wand, brought out from the compartment within his hard=suit.

"Aaaah, yes," said Mr. Ollivander, his pale eyes suddenly gleaming. "Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember."

Andrew remembered all too well what the creepy old man had told him the last time, and he had no desire to have it repeated.

Ollivander gave the wand a long look over, but Andrew noticed that the man seemed oddly intent at looking at his chest, as if he could see what was behind the hologram.

His eyes flicked over to Harry as well before he gave a minute shake of his head and cast a spell, sending wine out of the wand tip and handing it back to Andrew.

"It is in excellent condition, almost as if you rarely use it." He added the last part softly, and Andrew stilled before the old man gave him a sly wink and walked away.

"It seems that we are all finished then." Dumbledore said, before Bagman interrupted.

"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!" cried Bagman excitedly. "All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?"

"Er - yes, let's do those first," said Rita Skeeter, whose eyes were upon Harry and Andrew. "And then perhaps some individual shots."/*

Harry internally grimaced before giving his brother a look.

"I think that the actual champions should be the ones to have their pictures taken." He interrupted, smiling at the surprise that came over the French Champions face when Andrew nodded in agreement.

"I don't want to spoil any of this for you guys, you are the real champions; I was just forced to come." Andrew added, before he touched Harry's shoulder and cocked his head toward the door.

"Now wait a moment Mr. Potter, no matter the circumstance-" Bagman began, but the two of them walked out the door before he could finish. He rushed out of the room only to find that they were nowhere in sight, and he returned to the room, disappointed.

* * *

The next day:

To be honest, the idea of owls delivering mail seemed more than a little absurd, but Harry had grown used to it after the first few days.

It still seemed extremely unsanitary though.

Andrew, for no reason other than knowing what was going on in the country at this time, made a subscription to the Daily Prophet, which was given to him for free for some reason, most likely his fame.

So when he gave off a groan as he took a look at the front page, Harry knew that somehow that...reporter had broken her promise.

**Andrew Potter speaks of his time in exile, mocks Ministry and Prophet**

Harry stared at the title, bemused. Andrew had done none of those things. With a sigh he grabbed the paper and burned it, ignoring Andrew's protests. "Its trash Andrew, you don't need to read what that bitter crone somehow conjures up as news."

"But I need to know what she said."

Harry shook his head before rolling his eyes. "Lets just get you to your classes." Inwardly he was itching to do something to the reporter, but he held himself back, even if he had threatened her before, he didn't want to do anything too drastic. Merlin would show him no mercy in sparring if he did.

Still, when the next morning came up with much of the same, Harry decided that the reporter needed a reminder of his warning.

The next day, there was a small blurb in the Daily prophet about the loss of one of their reporter's offices to a fire. Harry had been seen with Andrew at the time, so there was no concrete evidence that he had done anything.

That didn't mean that the Hermes hadn't.

* * *

November 16

When Harry started doing his evening checks of the Hermes mark II, a large biosign alert made itself known in his head. And large meant _large_. There were four of them, four large creatures inside of the forbidden forest, and surrounded by a number of wizard life signs.

The four larger lifesigns were all stuck in one place, like they were trapped, while the wizards were scrambling all around them like agitated ants.

Harry was willing to bet his staff that the creatures in the forest had something to do with the tournament, and so he went to retrieve his brother from the exercise room, which he had been using to relieve his stress day after day.

They appeared in the Forbidden forest with the hardsuits activated and visors up. With a mental ping, Harry activated his cloaking before Andrew did the same, silencing and smell nullifying fields hiding them from any possible detection.

Andrew was holding his hands as steadily as he could, but his mind kept on drifting to the last time he had been here and stung by an acromantula.

As if he had read his mind, Harry had touched his shoulder and gave it a squeeze; their visors allowed them to see each other as if the cloaks were not even there.

The forest was incredibly eerie at this time of night, shadows coming from the moon and far off howls making the hair on the back of Harry's neck rise up.

Eventually though, the shadows started to grow warmer, and light could be seen through the trees.

They both stilled completely when a deafening roar echoed through the forest, coming from the direction in which they were heading.

"What the hell was that?" Harry whispered at Andrew, who obviously knew what that sound was if the spike of fear was any indication.

"Dragon." Andrew nearly stuttered, and Harry didn't doubt that his brothers face would have turned the color of paper by now.

_Dragon, as in the mythical dragons that hoarded gold and burned down villages? What are the other biosigns then?_

There were three other roars, and his answer was given. _All_ of the large biosigns were dragons. Wasn't that just wonderful?

"Lets take a closer look." He said, and he could feel Andrew's increduality as he started walking in the direction of the roars. Shaking his head, Andrew followed his brother, hoping that all the praises he had sung over the armor were actually true.

At first Harry thought the spouts of flame were military flamethrowers, that was how large they were, but the sight of the magnificent creatures in front of him made him realize that indeed, the stories were at least partially true.

A second later, he made a face at the thought that he was sounding like the COMC instructor, Hagrid. For some reason he couldn't understand, the half giant actually thought the exploding lobster scorpions were _cute._

He turned his suit's scanners up to full, and almost immediately noticed something daunting; the scales of the beasts were much like his armor, except naturally occurring. The scales themselves were somewhat flexible, similar to the tiny linked cells he used for maximum flexibility in the armor. Without that flexibility, the armor would have been near useless.

There were four Dragons; a silvery-blue one with long, pointed horns, a smooth-scaled green one, a red one with fringe of fine gold spikes around its face, and a gigantic black one that looked far more reptilian than the others and wielded a long black mace like structure on the end of its tail.

"Keep back there, Hagrid!" one of the wizards suddenly yelled as he struggled to hold onto a chain. "They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"

Harry whirled around at the mention of the half giant and saw him standing at the other side of the clearing, dressed to impress and holding onto the French Headmistress' hand. Was this his idea of a date?

Harry shook his head in exasperation when he moved closer and heard the man say. "Is'n' it beautiful?"

"It's no good!" yelled another wizard. "Stunning Spells, on the count of three!"

Each of the dragon handlers withdrew their wands at the order.

"Stupefy!" they shouted in unison, and the Stunning Spells flew against the dragons' scales with a shower of sparks before they each started to collapse,the ground trembling as their weight impacted on it.

One of them, the massive black dragon with a tail not unlike a mace was still barely awake, its yellow eyes glowing faintly. Harry fought the urge to gulp as it slowly looked right at him, _despite_ the cloak, and he took a step back, if only to preserve his cover. Despite his power, there was something naturally intimidating about a living creature that size, whose entire mind and body screamed predator.

"Wan' a closer look?" Hagrid asked Madame Maxime excitedly. The two half giants walked up to the enclosure and Harry followed behind him. The same red haired wizard that warned Hagrid away came over and asked if he was alright, then started talking about a sleeping draught and how the dragons had _not _been happy when they woke up in a completely different place.

When Hagrid asked what breeds there were, Harry paid close attention, knowing he would likely need to look for information about the breeds wherever he could, along with the information he had already gathered using the sensors.

The dragonkeeper gave a short explanation of their names, Hungarian Horntail, Common Welsh Green, Swedish Blue-Snout, and Chinese Fireball, before he added that he didn't envy the one who had to get past the Horntail. So the dragons, nesting mothers at that, were to be used to guard something within a nest, which the champions would have to retrieve. Wonderful.

Having heard enough, he moved away from the three wizards and back to where Andrew was rooted in place, still staring at the slumbering beasts.

"I have to fight one don't I?" He asked despairingly.

Harry gave him a soft cuff to the shoulder. "Don't worry about it Andrew, if worst comes to worst the dragonkeepers will step in, and they are professionals."

"What about you?" Andrew demanded, and Harry winced as his voice seemed to echo within his visor.

"I'll try, but I don't want to interfere if it will somehow hurt you." He promised, feeling frustrated that he still hadn't had much progress in deciphering the magic of the goblet.

* * *

November 18

Merlin was glad he had ordered the area mined, because just a few hours ago he received a warning from the Mercury's long range sensors about vessels moving through hyperspace. By the sheer thousands of ships Merlin knew this had to be the Goa'uld. At their current speeds, they would arrive in the system in a few weeks, which was barely enough time for his cargo ships to finish mining the entire area. Unfortunately, the Goa'uld that attacked him had discovered one of the richer mining grounds he had located.

Because of this, he had diverted a number of constructors to create defensive platforms for the other large mining colonies.

Every Cargo ship was pushing itself right before the breaking point, engines, transporters, everything. He didn't want the Goa'uld to have a single kilogram of the resources in the Area, the last thing that an expansionistic and violent race such as theirs need was more materials for their ever fighting fleets.

And secondly, he didn't want the Goa'uld ships to have any more glimpses of Lantean technology, the less they knew about him and his ships abilities, the better. That he had destroyed their ships so easily was a bad enough threat to their security. He didn't need them fighting him actively, not while he and Harry had such few ships.

He almost decided to call the second Ares class ship from the beta sphere before he decided it was not needed. He only needed to remove the resources and disappear, not stir up the hornets nest any further. Even with all the technology at his disposal, he was not ready to face thousands of Goa'uld ships with less than five.

* * *

November 21

Diagon Alley

Early Morning

Harry was completely unaware of what his mentor was doing, but if he was, he would have been more than a little angry.

As it was, he didn't know, so he was planning an excursion to Diagon Alley.

Harry knew that his brother preferred to sleep in on Saturdays, so it would be a perfect time for him to go find more information on Dragons than he had before.

Unfortunately, due to the high concentration of magic compared to the Magical alley in New Orleans, he could not beam himself directly into the bank; the interference would likely kill him if he tried.

So it was a slightly annoyed Harry that beamed himself into right outside of the Leaky Cauldron, cloaked and within an empty Alleyway. After waiting for the morning crowds along the street to clear somewhat, he moved into the Leaky Cauldron and weaved his way through the magicals currently eating; inwardly wrinkling his nose at the uncleanliness of the place. Did the owner not have a sense of hygiene?

He waited, still cloaked, in the brick wall that Andrew had once told him about until a witch came in and tapped the bricks in a specific pentagonal pattern. He briefly wondered if the bricks were simply touch sensitive or if he would need magic in order to activate them.

As the witch passed in front of him, he followed behind, noting that the portal closed immediately after he had passed. Had it somehow known that he was there?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts away from the barrier, Harry quickly started looking for anything resembling a bookstore, then remembered he would need to get some money from the bank first. While he could possibly replicate the money, he wasn't sure of all the enchantments used on the coins. And besides, why would he want to ruin his reputation among the goblins when they were the ones who treated him the best?

The journey to the stone steps of Gringotts was fast, and for a moment he wondered why the Goblins chose to use grecian columns instead of their typical crystal architecture.

He dove into an alleyway in front of the bank, using his normal persona as he shifted back into existence. No one saw, he made sure of it.

The two goblins standing guard at the doors stared at him, obviously recognizing him, and he gave both of them a nod, of acknowledgement and respect for one he didn't know. He smiled lightly when they gave it in return, their eyes slightly wider than normal but their faces still the same calm they had been the whole time.

Retrieving the gold was rather quick, all things considering. The goblin working the desk actually had another goblin retrieve his money for him, something that surprised him, but seeing the goblins' willingness, agreed to.

He asked for a withdrawal of five hundred galleons from his account, knowing that the money would later be transferred over to this bank to replace it, and with another respectful bow, he left the bank to search for some books on Dragons.

* * *

November 24

Harry really hated it when his brother had got like this, especially because they were already on the way to the champion's tent.

For some reason, Andrew seemed to think that he was completely useless at magic and that the dragon was going to eat him alive. Both notions were incorrect, in Harry's opinion, but the trick was getting his brother to actually see that.

Despite the time he had spent on searching for books, most of the information on the dragon breeds was focused on distracting the dragon and then running away; not exactly encouraging information.

The most useful information on their weaknesses came from a book he had reluctantly ventured into Knocturn alley for, in the guise of a tall imposing middle aged man that radiated magical power. He was left alone, and had a feeling the intimidating aura he had projected was part of the reason that the illegal book on dragon hunting(several centuries old) had come at such a low price.

Dragons were heavily protected against magical spells, but there were miniscule gaps between the armored scales that led to a series of softer scales underneath, and which absorbed nutrients from the air much like a human's skin needed fresh air. It was through these that certain fluids or potions could be thrown at a dragon, such as a sleeping draught, and knock out the dragon for the hunters to harvest.

Unfortunately, Harry did not have such potions, and the only ones powerful enough to do what he wanted were proscribed by the Ministry of Magic; _of course._

He had checked the rulebook of the tournament, and there was nothing within it saying that they could not bring in any additional items. So Andrew could still wear his armor.

He didn't want his brother to use it unless he had to, a last resort, because he had already given up too much information about his abilities. If Andrew was to stay safe, then whatever advantages he had over the wizards needed to stay secret.

"You know what Andrew?" Harry asked. His brother turned around, and Harry gave him a firm punch to the shoulder, deciding that the face would be too visible and distracting for the task ahead.

"What the hell was that for?" Andrew yelped, before Harry gave him an exasperated look and threw his hands up in the air.

"If you want to beat the task, you need to have a level head Andrew! Not twitching and worrying like a frightened rabbit!" He admonished quietly.

Andrew took an unsteady breath, hands clenching and unclenching unconsciously.

"Its just..."

"I know." Harrys' gaze softened, for a moment forgetting that despite their similarities in appearance, they had led completely different lives. Andrew did not have his emotional control, nor his discipline. Dragons were something that he had been taught to fear nearly from birth, to respect and not approach under any circumstances. It was understandable that he was so nervous about trying to get past one.

Harry gave Andrew a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he gestured at the ground. He had spent the past few days searching for anything in relation to bringing down dragons, and the dragon hunting book had a depiction of an incredibly rare artifact that was now impossible to make; a dragonhunter staff.

Dragonhunter staffs were made of a polished wood, usually studded with magic focusing and enhancing gemstones. But the most important part of the staffs was their ability to protect their users from dragon fire, creating a shield so long as they touched the ground. They required enormous magical potential to use, and the only ones left were in private collections among the oldest and richest wizarding families.

He had taken the design of the staff, then made a stunning weapon combined with a shield. The Lantean stunning weapon could not go through a shielded target, nor an armored human unless it touched skin. But because it was not a magical artifact, the stunning blast would be able to penetrate the dragon's armor, seeping through the minute holes and into the softer scales. At least in theory.

Andrew's hands were wide as he took in the staff. Harry gave him a small grin and tossed it to him, allowing him to feel the convincing illusion.

"What is it?"

"A dragonhunter staff, or at least a physical copy of one." Harry replied, then spoke in a lower voice. "It is thought activated, so it can create a shield against the fire, and fire one of the stunning weapons we use in the training room." Andrew grimaced in remembrance of the room before impulsively leaning forward and giving Harry a hug.

Harry stiffened slightly, not expecting the move, before he relaxed and hugged his brother back.

"Good Luck." He whispered softly, then looked around before cloaking from view.

Andrew let out a sigh, holding the staff in his hands with a feeling of great weight being lifted off of his shoulders.

He entered the tent confidently, holding the staff cautiously as if it was about to break.

*"Andrew! Good-o!" said Bagman happily, looking around at him. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"

Andrew settled into one of the seats, feeling uncomfortable with the eyes settling on his staff. The other champions all seemed to be wearing some kind of armor, dragonhide most likely, and Cedric was even carrying a shield with his house crest emblazoned in the center. Krum had some kind of gauntlets on his hands, and Fleur had a single large pendant not unlike the one Harry had first given him.

"Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er -varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too.. . ah, yes... your task is to collect the three golden eggs from each dragon's nest!"/*

The champions all showed their understanding, though the french girl was already looking a little green. Of course, her headmistress had seen the dragons with Hagrid.

"Ladies first," Bagman said, offering the sack to Fleur Delacour.

She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green with the number 2 around its neck.

Krum and Cedric withdrew their own dragons from the bag, the Chinese Fireball and the Swedish Short-snout respectively, and Andrew couldn't hide a tremble in his hands as he realized just which dragon he would be facing. Grimacing, he reached into the bag and withdrew a miniature version of the horntail he had seen in the forbidden forest. He shuddered lightly as it yawned and sprayed a burst of fire into the air, knowing the real thing was much larger.

"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right?"

Bagman smiled brightly at all of them before he left the tent, and that was when the three champion's turned directly on him.

"Where did you get such a horrible thing?" Fleur nearly screeched at him, glaring daggers at the staff as if would suddenly combust under her glare.

Cedric Diggory gave the staff in his hands a considering look, like he was trying to figure out just what it was.

"It was given to me for the task." Andrew said, and had to dodge to the right as a spell sped past him. "What the bloody?"

Fleur stared at him. "These staffs are evil, they should all be destroyed" She spat.

Andrew was more than a little startled at her vitriol.

"It is a dragonhunter staff?" Krum asked quietly, and Andrew gave a small nod, nervously looking at the older teen as if he were going to steal it from him.

Fleur turned her back on him, angrily staring at the wall while Cedric had a moment of epiphany after Krum revealed what Andrew was holding.

"Wait..weren't these the staffs that brought the Roman reds to extinction?" He asked, his eyes betraying his own horror.

Krum nodded gravely. "The staffs would not kill the dragons, but make them fall asleep, while the dragonhunters harvested them alive for better ingredients."

Andrew nearly dropped the replicated staff at that admission, realizing just why Fleur had been so disgusted with him.

The whistle sounded, and reluctantly, Cedric walked out of the tent, looking like a man marching to his grave. Andrew felt for him.

The next few minutes were tense as they listened to the crowds roars and screams, until Cedric eventually collected the last egg and was moved to the medics tent.

Fleur stood up from her seat, shaking slightly before she took a deep breath. Then the whistle sounded, and she stiffened before making her face completely blank, pushing open the tent flap without a word back to the two remaining champions.

Andrew, after hearing Bagman say that Krum at finished, quickly stood up, stretching a few more times in an effort to get rid of his nerves.

The whistle sounded, and Andrew steeled himself before moving out of the tent flap and squinting at the sudden sunlight. The bleachers were completely packed with students and the higher ups among the Ministry. There was even one of the speakers on the wizarding wireless, something that made Andrew feel even more uncomfortable before he tried to shove it away.

He walked down the path to the arena, holding onto the staff in his right hand so hard that he could feel the patterns of the wood imprinting on his skin.

And in the middle of the arena, he could see the massive black Horntail, chained in place.

"-And is that...that's a dragonhunter staff, where in Merlin's name did Andrew Potter find one of those?" He heard Bagman cry out.

There was so much sound coming from the stands, thousand of voices all speaking and shouting and jeering that he nearly felt overwhelmed.

He gripped the staff even tighter, closing his eyes for a moment before walking into the Arena, A timer starting on the podium where the judges were sitting.

Not knowing what else to do, Andrew ran forward, feeling more than a little foolish, like the first time he had gone through the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

The dragon stood up, the chain against its neck not quite stiff yet, but it wouldn't have much freedom of movement, something that would make the task both easier and more difficult. Easier because the dragon couldn't get too far out in the arena. Difficult because that meant it was close to its nest all the time.

Andrew hefted the staff in the direction of the dragon nearly thirty feet away, thinking of stunning it, and the staff did not disappoint, firing a blast of blue energy that impacted on the dragon's chest.

And the dragon twitched irritably before releasing a low roar. Unfortunately, in his haste to find information about dragons, Harry had not thought of the fact that humans and dragons had very different brain chemistry, and so the stunning blast did nothing but cause a sensation of mild pain to the dragoness.

Andrew paused, frantically looking at the staff in his hands as if it had betrayed him, then he slammed it into the ground as the dragoness reared up and breathed fire directly at him. The flames surrounded him, pressing against the shields and thankfully not breaking through, though it was a near thing, the magic in the fire was very powerful.

He backed away, staring at the dragoness and wondering how he could get past her. There was not much cover for him to use, not unless he used his wand to conjure something, like Harry had taught him in the obstacle room.

It was then that a flood of understanding rushed through him, and he stared at the arena, treating it like his obstacle course and trying to calculate a way out. He had to get the dragon distracted, away from the eggs somehow, so how would he...he smiled unconsciously, making the confused crowd wonder just what he was planning to do.

Andrew ran forward, firing another blast with the staff as he did and cursing its awkward size as he ran. That wasn't going to be a problem much longer.

The dragoness fired back, flame covering a wide area that made the crowd gasp, but when the fire cleared there was no sign of Andrew, only the staff, stabbed into the ground.

Murmurs of confusion went through the crowd, as the Horntail looked around her nest suspiciously, then screeched as three eggs vanished into thin air. She let out a murderous screech and flamed in Andrew's direction after she detected him. Andrew dispelled the cloak and raised his strongest protego totalum, amplified by the suit so that it deflected the fire.

In the stands, Albus Dumbledore watched in both worry in dismay at how powerful the shield was, absorbing the blast while knocking Andrew backward with the force of the hit. Andrew tumbled to the ground before rolling as Merlin taught him and running away from the dragon's nest.

The dragoness screamed and raged, flaming as much as she could, but none of her fire could reach Andrew now that he was too far away from her. Andrew ran out of the arena, a flushed grin on his face and a conjured sack with all three eggs held inside swinging in his grasp. Almost immediately after he left the field the dragon handlers ran back in to calm the beast.

Harry rolled his eyes, seeing that his brother had left the staff in the middle of the arena, and had the Hermes beam it up into storage, right before one of the dragon handlers could get close to it. The man looked stumped as the staff suddenly disappeared, before he realized that his fellow handlers were having trouble with the dragon and decided it would be better for his employment contract if he went to help them.

* * *

Later that night

"So how did it go?" Sirius asked over the screen.

They were currently inside of the Hermes in Andrew's room, and the wizards on Paradise seemed visibly relieved that nothing was wrong with Andrew(physically at least) after the first task.

"It wasn't that bad." Andrew shrugged, going for the nonchalant tone. "Just had to steal some eggs from a nesting dragon."

There was a brief silence, before the room was ringing with the combined voices of the wizards on the other end. "WHAT!?"

Andrew tried not to wince as his parents' faces turned completely stormy. "It wasn't that bad, the dragon was chained up and Harry gave me a staff that would protect me from the dragon fire."

Harry thought of mentioning that Andrew had let go of the staff for most of the time he had been in the arena, then decided against it. The Potters looked frustrated enough.

"It was still a dragon." James muttered darkly, then asked. "What kind?"

Andrew visibly winced this time. This would not go over well. "A Hungarian Horntail."

Another silence, although this time it looked like steam was about to come out of James' ears, his face was that red.

Idly, Harry wondered if having that much blood go to his face was healthy.

"A horntail." James stated, more like he was trying to keep calm by repeating it instead of screaming. By his tone, it didn't sound like it was working.

"And here I thought Bagman had at least a little sense in him." Sirius muttered.

"That man has less sense than a newborn krup." Carolynn scoffed quietly, but Andrew could still hear her say it.

And as if her words had been some kind of signal, the conversation rapidly degenerated into the adults badmouthing the ministry in unflattering and creative ways.

Harry rolled his eyes, leaving Andrew, and an amused Merlin on the other end of the line, to somehow settle them down. Absently he calculated the time in Florida before deciding it had been too long a time since his last visit to Joshua.

* * *

December 10

"Oy Potter!"

Andrew turned around, only to receive a fist in the face. He stumbled as his eyes watered, not expecting the attack, then threw his weight behind a fist at the offending red-head. He felt more than a little satisfaction when it drove the air out of the boy's lungs. The surrounding students gasped, and some of them ran for the teachers, though Andrew didn't notice this, his focus was only on the boy that had attacked him.

The one time that Harry said he had to do something, and asking Andrew if he would be alright on his own for a bit. Andrew had easily agreed, chafing at the idea of his brother having to watch over him at all times. Once Harry found out about this, he would never be alone for the hole bloody school year!"

"What's your problem?" He demanded at the boy, vaguely remembering his face from the past few years but not able to remember a name.

The boy wheezed slightly before staggering up to throw another punch. This one, Andrew blocked with his palm as Merlin had showed him, then grasped the boy's arm and threw him back down to the floor on his stomach.

Andrew stepped back, not needing to hit the boy again now that he was down.

The boy glared up at him with hate in his eyes. "Its your fault!"

Andrew stared back at him, bewildered. What could possibly be his fault?"

"You don't even remember her do you?" the boy demanded. "My sister, Ginny."

Andrew wracked his brain, trying to remember somewhat by that name. A few seconds later he had a vague recollection of a small first year stalking him around the castle, but always blushing and running away whenever he noticed. Frankly, it had been more than a little annoying.

Still, even if she was annoying, that didn't mean the boy's loss was even less. She must have died during one of the attacks that had prompted his roommates to dump him in the Forbidden forest.

"I am sorry for your loss." Andrew said stiffly, then groaned lowly as he saw Harry out of the corner of his eye. His brother did not look happy at all. At least he hadn't run in to start beating up the boy, the overprotective prat.

"She's not dead you wanker! She's a squib now because of you!" The boy growled as he stood up again, but he made no move to attack him physically, not after how easily he'd been put on the ground. Instead it seemed he was trying to hurt Andrew emotionally, but all Andrew felt was confusion. How could it be his fault.

Ronald growled out loud at his incomprehension. "YOU LEFT!"

Andrew nearly laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. somehow his leaving caused the Gryffindor's sister to lose her magic? Please.

"In case you don't remember, I left the school after nearly being killed by an acromantula." He stated, seeing the boy's face pale at the mere mention of the creature. Vaguely he recollected that the boy was absolutely terrified of spiders.

"Remember students from Hufflepuff the were arrested by the Aurors? They're the ones that made me decide to leave, along with the rest of the school thinking I was the one who opened the chamber; so if you want to blame anyone, blame them, blame yourself." He retorted before he turned around in what was quickly becoming a habit after confrontations.

Harry gave him a proud smile before tilting his head upward. Andrew nodded his agreement, looking back at the redheaded boy who looked troubled. With a sigh he turned back around and headed to his next class. Maybe the boy would listen to him, maybe he wouldn't, but he really didn't want any more drama.

His cheek gave a painful twinge before the suit started pouring healing energy into it. By the time he reached his transfiguration class, there was no sign he had ever been hit.

The class was focused on transforming guinea pigs to guinea fowl; something Andrew had learned nearly a year ago as part of his advanced education on Paradise. As such, he was almost casually waving his wand at the guinea pig and switching it back and forth so often Harry was starting to feel sorry for the creature.

Abruptly, the professor cleared her throat, looking decidedly uncomfortable as she did so. Andrew looked at her a bit strangely, wondering what she had to say that was so distasteful.

*"The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger student if you wish -"

Two of the girls started to giggle, one loudly and one trying to smother her sounds as they both looked at Andrew as if he were a piece of meat. Harry internally snickered at his brother's panicked expression.

"Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then -"

The professor gave the class a reproving glance before she added: "The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to... er - let our hair down." And the way her face twitched Harry thought that she was one of those old fashioned people that never 'let their hair down'.

The same girls giggled even harder this time.

"But that does NOT mean," the professor continued, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."

The bell rang, and the class exploded into action as they gathered their books and parchments to shove them in their bags for the run to their next class.

Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter - a word, if you please."

Harry gave her a considering look before looking back at his brother; wondering what the witch had to say to Andrew. Her mouth thinned as she saw him staying behind, but it didn't stop her from saying what she had to say.

"Potter, the champions and their partners -"

"What partners?".

Profesor McGonagall looked suspiciously at Andrew, as though she thought he was trying to be funny.

"Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter," she said coldly. "Your dance partners."

Andrew's face paled rapidly, then turned green as he realized he'd likely have to dance with one of his fangirls. Harry felt sympathy for him before he had the Hermes look through the rules of the tournament. He frowned lightly as he found no mention of a ball anywhere in the rules.

"There is nothing in the rules that says the champions _must _attend the ball." He said, looking right at the professor. "The ball was added only after the first few tournaments had already taken place, and the goblet is only bound to the first, original set of rules." He finished, giving her a very sour look for trying to trick his brother into going to the event.

The professor looked startled at his knowledge, then grimaced as what he had said sank in. He was right of course, but she had hoped that he would have attended the ball, if only for the sake of tradition.

"It would be highly offensive to the other schools if he did not attend." She reprimanded Andrew, whose face was already brightening at the thought that he didn't have to go.

"Offensive?" Harry looked baffled, then angry as he stalked forward. "Offensive that a _former _student that was _forced_ to reenroll does not want to attend a ball meant for the _three _champions?"

"You know what else is offensive?" He growled out, not waiting for an answer. "Seeing my b-Andrew writhing on the floor in pain because someone put his name in the goblet, and then forcing us to bring him here, where he has nearly been killed twice already!"

He paused, then gave her a flinty eyed look as he grabbed Andrew's arm. "Compared to that, you cannot complain of his rudeness."

Harry gave her a mocking bow before grabbing Andrew's wrist and walking out of the door. Andrew went willingly, all too glad to have avoided going to the ball.

Inside the classroom, the professor closed her eyes and looked sadly at the doorway. She had loved Andrew's parents as students, but it seemed with recent events that relationship would now be destroyed, all thanks to the machinations of her employer.

With a weary sigh, she started to clean up the classroom, knowing that her next block would be coming soon.

* * *

Later that night Harry was using the exercise room at the highest difficulty he had managed so far, pushing out his anger at the woman and the wizards and controlling it, making it drive him faster and farther than he would normally go.

At the destruction phase of the course, he didn't hold back with his telekinetic strikes, destroying targets as if they were the person who had forced Andrew, and him by extension, to come to this place.

"Harry." He jumped at the sudden voice in his head, as he and Merlin had not used this system of communication in a long time. He quickly shut down the course and walked to his quarters.

"Yes Merlin?" He asked, looking at the mirror in front of him and waiting as the image changed itself into that of his mentor. His smile disappeared though, when he saw Merlin's grim expression. "What is it?"

Merlin hesitated for only a moment before he decided to be blunt. "The Goa'uld attacked one of our mining outposts and I had to fight them off."

The way Merlin said the words 'fight them off' made Harry close his eyes for a second in pain, before snapping them open, his pupils narrowed and accusing.

"You killed them." He didn't ask it, he stated it, and Merlin did not give any denial of it.

Harry felt his hands clench, before he took a deep breath to calm himself and not shout at his mentor like he really wanted to do.

"Why did you kill them?" He asked. "What gave you the right to kill them when their ships were so inferior to ours?" He nearly hissed, not managing to mask his anger at all.

Merlin looked unperturbed as he replied. "You are being naïve."

Harry's expression hardened further as he replied. "Believing that every life means something is not naïve."

"Even the lives of the Goa'uld?" Merlin asked.

"Not them, they are not people, people do not kill thousands on a whim or just because they can." Harry argued back.

"And you are saying the Jaffa are completely innocent in all this?" Merlin asked, disbelieving.

"Yes! They are forced to follow orders, otherwise their lives and the lives of their families will be forfeit!" Harry asserted, and Merlin gave a mocking sort of laugh that made Harry's hackles raise.

"And if their orders result in the death of thousands, mothers, fathers, children?" He asked almost snidely, and Harry gave him no answer. For how could he? Soldiers could refuse to fight, but they were quickly replaced, and/or punished, especially in the ranks of the Jaffa. The way Merlin's face looked at him condescendingly, as if he knew he was right and that Harry was wrong, made him incredibly angry, so much that for a moment he was incapable of thinking clearly.

"Disconnect." Harry commanded, and the transmission ended.

He felt his hands shaking and clenched them, determined not to give that bitter old man the satisfaction of being right.

* * *

Authors Note:

* /* Is taken from the book and modified, most of what the characters say remains the same, because to be honest, how would Andrew and Harry's presence change that? I do not own any of the text being used from the book.

edit: fixed the part talking about Harry and his wand, that wasn't supposed to be there.

Oh, and I have a question for the readers: Should I fit the entire story in just one 'book' or should I split it into different books, part 1 and 2? Because as it is right now, the story looks like its going to get pretty long, and I don't know if that deters any possible readers. You can let me know in a PM or a review, I don't care which.

Posted: 9/14/13


	18. Chapter 17

It seems like the majority of people want me to keep this story as one book, so I will do that instead of breaking it up.

There were also some people calling me out on my characterization of Harry, which after I went back to previous chapters, realized that they were right, so this chapter has an explanation for why he was acting this way. I hope it is satisfactory, but I just want to say something else here. Knowing that you will have to kill someone and actually doing it are completely different things, so this is a part of why Harry was so shocked; he was in a sort of denial about what the ships were really going to be used for; to have them used to kill so many made him feel disgusted for helping to create them, and he took out this disgust on Merlin.

A guest reviewer asked when I was planning on bringing SG1 into the picture, and I will say right now that there will likely be hints of them in the chapter after the next one, then maybe two chapters after that is when he really starts interacting with them.

And finally, I just wanted to mention that I now have a beta: Joe Lawyer.

Last Time:

"Why did you kill them?" He asked. "What gave you the right to kill them when their ships were so inferior to ours?" He nearly hissed, not managing to mask his anger at all.

Merlin looked unperturbed as he replied. "You are being naïve."

Harry's expression hardened further as he replied. "Believing that every life means something is not naïve."

"Even the lives of the Goa'uld?" Merlin asked.

"Not them, they are not people, people do not kill thousands on a whim or just because they can." Harry argued back.

"And you are saying the Jaffa are completely innocent in all this?" Merlin asked, disbelieving.

"Yes! They are forced to follow orders, otherwise their lives and the lives of their families will be forfeit!" Harry asserted, and Merlin gave a mocking sort of laugh that made Harry's hackles raise.

"And if their orders result in the death of thousands, mothers, fathers, children?" He asked almost snidely, and Harry gave him no answer. For how could he? Soldiers could refuse to fight, but they were quickly replaced, and/or punished, especially in the ranks of the Jaffa. The way Merlin's face looked at him condescendingly, as if he knew he was right and that Harry was wrong, made him incredibly angry, so much that for a moment he was incapable of thinking clearly.

"Disconnect." Harry commanded, and the transmission ended.

He felt his hands shaking and clenched them, determined not to give that bitter old man the satisfaction of being right.

Ch17:

December 11, 1994

They were walking in the hallway to Andrew's first class when Harry heard rapid footsteps coming towards them. A second later, his staff appeared in his hands, making the students moving around him suddenly look nervous. They had all seen him threaten the headmaster with the staff, and for him to draw it now meant something bad was probably about to happen.

Harry himself was already tense and angry, almost to the point of wishing someone would attack him so he could relieve some of that anger. He felt betrayed, like Merlin had used the ships they had designed together as a means to his own agenda. He knew that the ships were being built so that they could one day be able to take down the Goa'uld, but he hadn't expected Merlin, his mentor, the person he trusted the most in the universe, to use them to kill innocent Jaffa who were only following orders.

But as the Hufflepuff boy showed himself, panting slightly from running through the halls; he relaxed. If only a little.

"I um...wanted to talk to you Potter." The boy said, still breathing heavily, but quickly regaining his breath.

"About?" Harry asked when the boy fidgeted for a few seconds, paying a few nervous looks at his staff.

"I...have you figured out the clues for the three eggs yet?" Cedric asked, looking at Andrew.

His brother shook his head morosely. "All I get is the screeching."

Cedric winced sympathetically, then said. "Well, the next time you...take a bath, bring them with you; it'll help.

And with that rather cryptic statement, he quickly walked away.

Harry put his staff away before grabbing Andrew's arm. "Come on, you can work on the eggs later."

Andrew gave a mild protest at being pulled around, then straightened and started to walk to Binn's class on his own. At least he didn't need to pretend that he was paying attention in this class.

* * *

December 14

Harry was currently working in his room aboard the Hermes; mainly looking at progress reports from the ZPM factories in orbit of Paradise and the Dyson Spheres.

The first batch of ZPM's had been started in 1991, and they had been creating a new batch of them every month, nine to a batch. The idea was to have a constant supply of the things for emergency purposes and powering technologies that were specifically designed for their use, such as the city ships in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Speaking of Pegasus, Harry had received a progress report from the large number of drones in Pegasus scouting out the area. Given the distances involved and the low strength of the cargo ship engines, it would take several weeks for any physical data to come back from the Pegasus galaxy. Which was somewhat disappointing, Harry had been curious to see just how the Wraith ships were able to regenerate, and if the process they used could be duplicated on their own ships.

He then snorted to himself. It was likely that he would be stuck in this castle for the rest of the school year, what did it mean if he had to wait a few weeks for the data compared to that? He quickly composed a command to one of the probes and its cargo ship to strip a few layers of armor off of the next hive it found, without waking up the Wraith inside.

The Wraith's ability to quickly regenerate their hulls would be a great asset to his ships. Combined with the energy dampening ability that his hulls now possessed, the addition of the Wraith technology would make his ships that much harder to destroy when the Goa'uld attacked him again.

Harry stopped there and growled to himself. It seemed no matter what he did to try and distract himself, his mind would jump back to Merlin and what he did. It just made him so angry, even though he knew that the ships were meant as weapons of war, the way Merlin had used them to effortless destroy the Goa'uld ships was disgusting and callous. Not to mention the fact that it got the Goa'uld all riled up about a threat to their power.

Harry clenched his fists and opened the progress report on the Dyson Spheres, hoping to distract himself with plans of what he could do with them once they were completed in .

He admitted that the idea of creating liveable land on the sphere was a bit fanciful as a dream, but it was also something else to do with it. Given the size of the thing, only a few of the cells would need to be used as shipyards. More of them would be solely used for power storage, their capacitors based off of the ancient seed ships that only needed the power of suns to run for a very long time.

The remaining pieces after that, say about 75%, would not be needed for anything other than the cells gathering energy from the sun. It would be quite easy to use the power output from the sun to start creating soil and land in near identical specifications to those on Earth. Given the sheer size of the sphere, 75% was 72 and a quarter _trillion_ square kilometers, enough surface area for nearly one and a quarter million earths. Just the thought of creating a sort of nature reserve out of all that space was mind boggling; how would he even find enough animals to populate it? Well obviously the more endangered species would have to be preserved first, perhaps by cloning every single animal on earth a few dozen times and then seeding the animals in different locations on the generated land would allow for a better chance at survival for each species.

Hell, why not add the magical breeds, because hidden or not they were still a part of Earth's ecosystem.

When he had been younger, Harry had been very focused on the idea of saving endangered species, animals that no one seemed to care about when they were all focused on themselves. In a way, he had felt like that, that he was similar to these animals because no one would stop to look at what was happening to them, just like no one cared how the Dursleys had treated him. No one paid attention to the 'criminally insane boy that the Dursleys had taken in out of the goodness of their hearts'. In a way, it had been a dream for him to be free and happy like he was now, many of those animals were not. They were hunted for either delicacies made of their flesh or trophies made of their bodies, and no one ever seemed to care.

People tended not to notice things that they did not want to notice, things that made them upset or that they felt they couldn't help were better ignored than confronted. And people would not be willing to give up their comforts to save the lives of animals that they never even saw or heard. But he wouldn't do that. Once his sphere was finished, he would be able to save them, just like he would save the people under the oppression of the Goa'uld. He had to, because no one else would.

A knock at the door brought him out of his funk and he looked up from the pad. Andrew was looking at him unsurely, like he wanted to ask something.

"Yes Andrew?"

Andrew looked at him intensely before seeming to steel himself. "I know that you said that would be too dangerous for my parents to come stay here, but is there any way for them to come for a short time, at least for Christmas?"

Harry wanted to argue with the idea, then stopped to think. His main issue with the wizards coming back was that they could somehow be used against Andrew, as hostages to compel his good behavior or obedience. But if they never set foot on any of the wizard's lands, then there should be no danger. The trick was making sure that they stayed on board the ship...he'd have to disable their transporter access once they were on the ship, but that wouldn't be too hard with the blanket authority he had over all their ships.

"Fine, they can come, but only so long as they agree to stay on the ship." Harry agreed, and Andrew beamed at him in gratitude.

"Thanks Harry, can you ask Merlin to bring them over?"

Though he tried to hide it, his expression grew a little strained at the mention of his mentor, practically his father with how much he cared for him and his opinion.

"Why don't you ask him yourself Andrew, I'm sure he'll gladly do it if you ask."

Andrew smiled at him, this time a bit more unsurely, before leaving the room, wondering what he had seen in Harry's expression.

* * *

December 19

It was several days later when Andrew finally decided to take Diggory's advice and take a bath with the eggs.

Unfortunately, the Hermes only had showers, not baths, so he was forced to go take a swim in the lake, holding the golden eggs in his arms and feeling like a complete fool.

His brother knew what he was doing, and though he wasn't standing in front of him Andrew had a feeling Harry was watching him from the ship. More than a little creepy, but Harry was ridiculously paranoid about his safety. As if someone would try to attack him the moment he appeared on the grounds!

Staring into the lake and hoping that the giant squid wasn't hanging around, Andrew dropped the three eggs into the lake and saw them glow.

A second later, he ducked his head into the water, and heard a confusing babble that sounded like English, but seemed to be spoken by multiple copies of the same person or people.

With a shake of his head, he shot out of the lake, trying to make sense of the words he had heard. It didn't make any sense. Maybe it was because he had put all three eggs in at once?

Andrew quickly grabbed two of the eggs and put them on the shoreline, then picked up the one currently in the water out of the lake before dropping it back in again.

This time, when he dunked his head in the lake, he could hear the lyrics clearly,

_First seek the guardian of the lair_

_whose head is like a spear_

_the second is in the weeds but beware_

_the horned demons in water unclear_

Andrew quickly jumped out of the water, knowing that the suit kept him from getting damp; and wrote down the words of the stanza in a notebook he had brought along with him for writing down ideas. He then dunked back into the water to make sure he got the words right, then took that egg out and repeated the process

_A task you are seeking to complete_

_in waters of danger and fear_

_four pieces you must find to do this feat_

_once you leave the pier_

And then, after writing down that part, he put the final egg in the water and listened to it as well.

_The third you will find where our voices sound,_

_the fourth in the great divide_

_but for those pieces not found in time_

_the lake they will stay inside._

After that, Andrew grabbed the last egg out of the water and wrote the final verse before he asked Harry to beam him up to the ship.

"So what did they tell you?" Harry asked.

"The three eggs have three parts of some kind of song you can only understand when underwater." Andrew replied, then handed over the list to his brother. Harry took a few seconds to read it over before holding his hand at the paper and scanning it in. After less than a second there was a quiet ping in his mind, and he displayed the information via the holographic projector.

Harry frowned, reading the stanzas again before making a small gesture. Two of the stanzas flipped positions, and he read it out loud.

_A task you are seeking to complete_

_In waters of danger and fear_

_Four pieces you must find to do this feat_

_Once you leave the pier_

_First seek the guardian of the lair_

_Whose head is like a spear_

_The second is in the weeds but beware_

_The horned demons in water unclear_

_The third you will find where our voices sound,_

_The fourth in the great divide_

_But for those pieces not found in time_

_The lake they will stay inside._

"That makes more sense." He stated, looking over the words carefully. "Waters of danger and fear? The only water around here is the lake, actually they confirm that at the end...didn't you say the lake had a giant squid?" He asked Andrew, who nodded. Harry pointed to the pair of lines.

_First seek the guardian of the lair_

_Whose head is like a spear_

"This looks like it is talking about the Giant Squid alright..." He stated, then added an annotation to the side of the image with the word squid. Then he looked at the second stanza,

_The second is in the weeds but beware_

_The horned demons in water unclear_

"Horned demons?" Harry stated more than asked. Given by the first clue, this would have to be another kind of underwater creature, but he didn't know of many of them, so he decided to leave that for later.

_The third you will find where our voices sound,_

_The fourth in the great divide_

These two lines were speaking of two different pieces, one where the singers of the egg were located, and one in a 'great divide'. Harry frowned a bit before having the ship start to scan the surface of the water. Singers implied that there was some kind of civilization under the water, and for there to be a civilization there had to be some kind of city or village under the lake. As for this great divide...he would have to see the scans to be sure, but from the way it was worded he would guess there was some kind of trench under the lake.

The ship pinged him back and he scowled as it told him there was too much interference with the scanners. Every singly time he was sure he succeeded in making Lantean technology work in the presence of magic something else _had_ to prove him wrong. He would have to take closer scans, and it was with a triumphant look that he recalled the planetary probes that the Lantean ancestors had designed to travel through Stargates and check the inhabitability of different planets.

"The scanners can't see past twenty meters of water." Harry admitted to his brother.

Andrew nodded, looking a bit green. "I guess I'll have to start exploring the lake by hand then?"

Harry gave his brother a distinctly unimpressed look then shook his head, bringing up the schematics for a planetary probe and checking over the pressure tolerances before nodding to himself and building one with his hand-constructor.

Andrew stared as the device materialized within a few seconds, then disappeared when finished.

"Is that..."

"A probe." Harry confirmed with a smug expression. "It is cloaked and moves using gravity, so it can scan the entirety of the lake in a few days."

"Could you put more of them to make it go faster?"

Harry thought for a moment. They weren't really in a rush, given that the next task was in more than a month. Then he shrugged to himself and created another two of the devices and had them explore different areas of the lake. If they finished sooner, they would have slightly more time to work out a plan for his brother. While it wouldn't really matter in the long run, if it put his brother's mind at ease, then what was the big deal?

* * *

December 24th

Harry watched with a hint of sadness as his brother ran laughing into his parents arms, hugging them tightly. The original Hermes had flown down through the wards of Hogwarts and beamed its passengers to the new one to avoid having Andrew's parents on the ground.

He wanted to stay angry at Merlin, wanted to hate him for what he did, but after two weeks all he really felt was a sort of emptiness.

Merlin called him naïve, something that he associated only with being a child. But in hindsight, when he looked over his actions with Merlin he realized that he had acted like a child. He had allowed his anger and self disgust for helping design the ships control his thoughts and not the other way around. Merlin had taught him to control his emotions, and he had completely disregarded his lessons when it really mattered.

That wasn't to say that he believed himself entirely wrong. Killing people needlessly was inexcusable if they had never done anything to deserve it.

_"And if their orders result in the death of thousands, mothers, fathers, children?"_ He pushed the words away, but even as he did he couldn't help but acknowledge the truth of them. How many people had the Jaffa in those Ha'tak killed? Their fellow brethren? Humans? Other alien races? They were an instrument that the Goa'uld had used to subjugate the entire galaxy for millennia.

He didn't know the answers, and to be honest, a part of him was screaming to not dismiss their possible actions when they were so enthralled with the power of the gods they served. Montu especially, as he was an underling to Ra himself, the Supreme System Lord, and such a powerful position meant that Montu and those he commanded had likely fought and destroyed their enemies and victims in countless battles over thousands of years.

Absently, he realized that his feet had brought him to his room, his hand already motioning toward the button that would close his door. He could faintly hear Andrew and his family talking and laughing, and the squealing of a now two and a half year old Charles Black as Andrew picked him up and swung him around.

People like them were killed every time the Goa'uld brought a new planet under their control, fighting a hopeless fight against better armed and better trained forces. He knew this, he had known this since he first stole the data crystals from Apophis. So why had it bothered him so much that Merlin had killed what likely amounted to organized murderers? People that killed joyously for their gods and no other reason?

He frowned to himself, looking at the things he had done in the past and wondering where the hard, sarcastic, bitter young man he had once been had disappeared to. At one point he wouldn't have cared at all about these people, these soldiers that fought for a false cause and false gods. He had only cared about him and Merlin, no one else. Until his brother came along and he felt that he had to help him, help his family escape from the corrupt headmaster that currently had them trapped within the grounds of his castle.

But as he grew used to having the wizards around him, he found himself loosening up, relaxing a little. That was it, that was when he had started changing. Like his brother had grown more like he used to be, he in turn had grown softer, more idealistic, and that was inexcusable with what he had promised himself to do. He had been having so much fun imagining and designing and creating things with Lantean technology that he had lost sight of what all of these things had originally been for. For fighting the Goa'uld. For fighting the Wraith. For fighting against any that would subjugate or enslave others to do their own bidding. For bringing the Lantean race back to its place as a protector for the younger races.

He had lost sight of the fact that in fighting against these tyrants, people would die, both good and bad. The innocent and the guilty. Soldiers and civilians.

And now, as he looked over his actions with the Headmaster, he realized that he had been lazy, ineffectual, so focused on protecting Andrew that he barely spared a thought to finding out who forced his brother into this mess in the first place. Ministry officials were currently at the school, right now. Even the Minister himself was likely to be here, and even if he was a buffoon(as said by Andromeda), he would at least have some idea of where the Goblet of Fire was. With a determined glint in his eye, he clenched his fists and beamed down to the school.

* * *

He reappeared in one of the boys' bathrooms on the same floor as the Great Hall, then cloaked himself completely before adding a one way silencing field around himself. He jogged down to the Great Hall, taking great care to avoid any students. Even if he was cloaked he could still run into solid objects, so unless he wanted to raise the alarm, then he would have to be careful.

Harry waited until the doors were opened by a pair of students coming out, then slipped inside, using his suit to reduce the gravity around his person then jump across the Hall.

He used the same inertial drive to slow down before impact, then landed behind the headmaster, champions, and other guests sitting at the table. They were all talking quite loudly, a particularly pompous looking redhead saying something about being promoted and that he was attending in the place of his superior at the Ministry, Bartemius Crouch. Harry thought for a moment, then remembered that the man's mind had felt like he did not have control of himself, and guessed that this was the illness of which they were speaking of.

Stealthily, he moved closer to the Minister of Magic, just far enough that he would not be run into should the man stand up from his seat. He gently pushed his consciousness into the man's mind, looking for anything about the Goblet of Fire. He passed by what felt like dozens of memories, many of them including a tall blond man that looked rather like that little weasel Malfoy handing over some gold in exchange for passing various laws.

Harry felt a surge of disgust rise within him at the blatant corruption, then pushed aside his feelings, knowing that whatever the man had done in the past didn't matter, only the location of the Goblet did. Ah, there it was! He listened closely to the memory, the man was talking to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore said that he would find an appropriate place for the Goblet.

Harry rapidly pulled himself out of the man's mind before sending the information up to the Hermes. So only Dumbledore knew where the Goblet of Fire was?

He jumped away from the table as its members started to get up and cursed at the loss of the chance, knowing that he would have to wait until Dumbledore was sitting again before trying to get into his mind. Emotions were easy enough for him to read from a fair distance, but pushing his mind into that of another was difficult unless he was standing still and concentrating fully on the task.

The headmaster called the champions of the school to dance, looking a bit strained at the lack of having his brother there, and a classical orchestra began to play, leading the champions to start the ball with a waltz, played by some disturbingly (he seemed to be using that word a lot while he was around the wizards) dressed women. He heard the headmaster refer to them as the Weird Sisters, and decided that the title was more than apt.

He waited impatiently in his place by the far wall with the tables as the headmaster went to dance as well, with the Headmistress of the French school. That was interesting, he had thought that she didn't approve of Dumbledore. Then again, she was probably only dancing with him for the sake of formality and etiquette. He shrugged, and wasted his time looking at the decorations around the Hall while every so often checking on the headmaster's position.

After nearly half an hour of waiting, the headmaster went to sit down, and Harry immediately jumped over to the man's side of the room and landing behind him. He gently touched the man's mind, finding shields that were very powerful for a wizard, but not powerful enough to keep him out. There were always holes in mental defenses, and with his telepathy it was easy for him to find them and slip into the man's mind without being detected.

He found himself into a much larger and developed mind than that of the Minister, not much of a surprise given how much the Potters muttered about Fudge's intelligence(or lack thereof). There was also a much greater amount of memories, but several of them were a bit clouded, as if there was more effort placed into hiding them away. He headed for those, knowing that they had to be more important.

Flashes of scenes played before his mind's eye, Dumbledore eagerly waiting for Andrew to come to Hogwarts as the Boy Who Lived, the attack on Godric's hollow, a thought about the brother than had been removed from the family (him) before dismissal as irrelevant, which made Harry angry. And eventually, the memories started to play in chronological order, how Andrew had been forced into coming back in his first year, his discussions with his brother in his office, his refusal to expel Andrew despite his appalling grades and outright rebellion.

Then Andrew's second year, resorting his brother in an effort to make him work harder, to make him accept that he had to stay at the school. The attacks from an unknown assailant, the hope that Andrew would be the one to find out what was going on. How did that make sense? How would his brother be able to figure out something that a man with more than a century of experience, and headmaster of the school to boot, could not?

And then Andrew was brought out into the Forbidden Forest by his housemates, and Dumbledore knew that his brother was still alive thanks to some artifacts that had been blood bound...

Harry paused and restrained the urge to growl. He knew from his studies with Carolynn just how powerful blood was when used in magic, specifically blood taken against or without the target's agreement. Once he was done here he was going to find those objects in the man's office and destroy them.

He dove back into the man's memory stream, moving along until he reached this year, and learned that the man had used a piece of paper from one of Andrew's previous assignments and bound it to a drop of his brother's blood, making it seem that he was voluntarily consenting to being entered in the tournament. All of this in an effort to force Andrew to come back, where he could be under Dumbledore's control once again.

Harry resisted the urge to start tearing the man's mind apart when he learned this, instead extracting himself from the man's mind with care so as to avoid detection. He then left the room, beaming himself up to the Hermes when he had reached the gardens prepared for the ball. He then uploaded the information to the computer in his room and starting to plot. How to get the man to swear an oath to keep him away from Andrew?

* * *

Dumbledore was woken up by the intruder alert ward, and sat up to reach for his wand only to be held in place by an all too familiar force.

A middle aged man, tall and scowling was standing at the foot of his bed. His expression was near murderous and a staff much like Andrew's protector was held loosely in his hands.

"I wonder what the wizarding world would think if they knew you were an avid user of bloodmagic Mr. Dumbledore?" The man said, gesturing towards the desk in his office. Dumbledore blanched as every single 'trinket', even those that had not been tied to Andrew Potter laid destroyed and in fragments on the floor. His companion, Fawkes, was nowhere to be seen, he had taken to flying off quite often these days, something that bothered the old Headmaster but had not been an issue until now.

"Not to mention the fact that you were the one to force him into this tournament." The man added and Dumbledore scrambled to check his Occlumency shields, only to have the man chuckle.

"While your defenses are impressive, for a lowly wizard, they are no match for us." He scoffed, leaning closer to the old man. "Our agent took the information from your mind with little effort, during last night's ball."

Dumbledore's eyes widened, he had not felt a thing during that time, nor seen anyone out of place. What was this person? Was he even human?

His eyes hardened as he demanded. "What do you want?"

The man smirked infuriatingly at him. "We want the Goblet of Fire, so we can release Andrew from this tournament and continue training him to reach his potential without your interference."

"But...he is needed, he is the Boy- Who- Lived." Dumbledore nearly stammered out. He had spent so much time and effort getting Andrew back into the school, to train him to be the one to destroy Voldemort, he couldn't lose him again.

"I will agree so long as your people can remove Voldemort." He stated, and the man looked at him incredulously before he tilted his head back and laughed. Unfortunately, his attention on holding Dumbledore in place did not waver, and the man stopped laughing almost as suddenly as he had begun.

"You are in no position to demand such things." He said. "While our agent was not able to find the information in your mind to locate the goblet without alerting you, I am certainly able to, which is why I was sent."

He moved closer, until his nose was mere inches from Dumbledore's. "If you force me, I will take the information from your mind directly, without your consent and more than a little pain." Then the man sighed and added."But to be honest, I'd rather not move through the cesspool that is your mind, makes me awfully nauseous going through minds as twisted as yours.

Dumbledore was indignant at the idea of his mind being a 'cesspool', and as if the man knew what he was feeling, his smile widened.

"So here's the deal...you tell me where you hid the Goblet of Fire, and swear an oath to never use blood magic or any magic against Andrew or any that he considers his family again, _including potions_, nor shall you order or suggest in any way for another to do the same. If you do not, my associates will release the evidence of your bloodmagic rituals to the Head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones."

Harry in his guise smirked as a slight amount of panic made its way into the headmaster's eyes and vaguely reflected that Ragnok of New Orleans was right. Everyone expressed their emotions in their eyes, no matter how subtle.

"As you know, she takes a hard stance against any wrongdoing, no matter who it was or what political connections they might have. And if she somehow doesn't give you the correct punishment, we will, you have my promise on that."

He leaned back, watching closely as Dumbledore's eyes became distant as he tried to find a way out of this mess. It angered the headmaster to realize that he was in a checkmate, one that he had never seen coming, and that if he wanted to maintain his position, he would need to release the information that would keep Andrew Potter firmly under his control. A lose/ lose situation.

"Do you not understand? Andrew Potter is the only hope the wizarding world has for when Voldemort will rise again, we need him."

The man gave him another one of those incredulous looks. "You are asking a child to do the work that the entire adult population of his nation cannot? Have you no shame?"

The force holding him down increased to the point that Dumbledore could feel his old bones creaking, and then the man calmed, glaring at him. "You would send a child to his death against a wizard that eradicated entire families and nearly brought your government down to its knees. Forget having the DMLE handle your punishment, I should just destroy your mind on the spot."

Dumbledore hid a blanch at the mere thought of it. He was fine with dying, it was the next great adventure after all. But to live out the rest of his days unable to comprehend the world around him was absolutely terrifying, and he did not doubt that the man meant what he had said. Given how powerful Andrew's young companion was, deflecting his legilimency probe with near condescension, this man would be far more powerful, and be able to act on his claims. For the second time this year, Dumbledore felt true fear.

"I swear on my magic that I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, will not use blood magic nor any other form of magic...or convince others to do the same, on Andrew Potter or any person that he considers family, so mote it be." He swore, defeated.

The man's eyes narrowed. " And the Goblet?"

If he could, Dumbledore would have clenched his fists, and he said in a rather odd way. "The drawer that holds the Goblet of Fire is located in the middle of the desk in the headmaster's office."

Harry's eyes widened slightly in realization that the man used the Fidelius charm, the same charm that had been used by his parents and broken by Peter Pettigrew to protect them from Voldemort. With a sharp nod, he said. "We will hold you to our agreement."

And with a sharp gesture, he fired a blue stunning bolt at the old man sending him into unconsciousness. With a mental smirk, he pushed his presence into the man's mind and erased the parts of the conversation concerning the Goblet of Fire. He wanted to do so much more to the man, to make him pay for all the suffering that Andrew had gone through, but knew it would be too suspicious if he did anything to him at the moment. He would have to wait until after they left before he came back for the old goat.

When he was done removing the memory, Harry in his disguise stalked over to the desk and opened the previously hidden drawer, to see the Goblet, unlit, sitting right in front of him in a space that was obviously expanded. He carefully used his telekinesis to lift it out of the drawer, then beamed it up to the Hermes for study after scanning it. With his hand materializer, he created a physical copy of the Goblet and added enough magical patterns to make it stand up to a cursory scan before placing it back inside the expanded drawer.

A second later, he had the Hermes lock onto the fragments of the destroyed trinkets and beam them aboard, if for anything else, to keep them from being used against someone else. And after a few quick glances around the room, he smiled to himself and beamed up.

* * *

December 31

By the beginning of the new year, Harry had been scanning the Goblet of Fire with every magical and nonmagical diagnostic he had installed on the new Hermes class ship's Medical bay.

He had told his brother about the Goblet now being in his possession, and the revelation that Dumbledore himself had been the one to force Andrew into the tournament. This was met with anger from the Wizards currently residing on the Hermes, but without much real surprise.

Andrew summed it up best when he said that "He's been trying to keep me under his control for years, he was the first guess I had."

Because of this revelation, the wizards had vowed to stay in the Hermes to study the Goblet until Andrew was free, and Harry welcomed them, knowing that the help they could provide, Lily and Andromeda especially, would greatly lessen the time that Andrew had to be tethered to the damn thing.

But while they were a great help, he still wanted to ask Merlin if he could help them as well. He just didn't know how to. He still felt ashamed for how he had acted with his mentor, and practically his father, and didn't know what he could say that would make up for his stupidity.

Eventually, he grew tired of being so conflicted, and decided to take Ted Tonks up on his offer, the one he had made exactly a year ago.

It was rather early in the morning, but Harry knew that Ted, like himself, woke up very early to look out the 'window' of the Hermes, while drinking a cup of tea. He had done the same thing every day at Paradise and had even once admitted that it was a tradition instilled into him by his mother before she died.

Harry didn't bother to hide the sound of him entering the room, and Ted looked at him after a moment, then smiled a bit in greeting. Harry returned the smile, a little nervously.

"Morning Harry." Ted greeted, raising his coffee mug full of tea up to his mouth a second later, then conjured a table and put it down. Harry hesitated, then gestured at the door to close, not wanting anyone else to hear the conversation. Ted gave him an enquiring look.

"I...Merlin and I had a fight."

Ted's eyebrow rose. From what he knew, Merlin was the person that Harry usually got on the best with, the one he always went to when he wanted to discuss something. It must have been something pretty big that had made them fight.

"In hindsight, it was stupid...but remember the Goa'uld I told you about last time?"

Ted nodded, scrambling to remember what little details Harry had mentioned about the Goa'uld. The main thing that stuck with him was tyrants, slavery and the murder of innocents. He gestured for Harry to continue.

"Well, they attacked one of our mining outposts, where we get quite a bit of the material for our ships..." Harry elaborated, and Ted nodded.

"Well, Merlin attacked them back, and destroyed them."

"So what is it that is bothering you about it?" Ted asked after a few moments of silence.

"I was so angry at him, it felt like he betrayed me in a way, using the technology we developed to kill so many of the Jaffa...the Goa'uld's soldiers."

"But these goa'uld are horrible beings, the things they have done would make Vol-You know who look like a saint." Ted argued back, confused as to where this was going.

"I know that, but at the time all I could think about was how horrifying it was, how many people died so easily, many thousands of them." Harry replied, still feeling a little sick at the thought. "I felt like their deaths weren't necessary, that they didn't deserve to die for their leader's crimes, and I yelled at Merlin." He winced in remembrance, then murmured. "He called me naïve."

Ted gave Harry an understanding look. The fourteen year old hated being compared to a child, for him it was like saying he was irresponsible, incapable of doing anything right.

"And then he told me that the soldiers were not innocent, that they too had done things for their 'gods' that more than warranted their deaths, and I disconnected the call."

Ted winced. So that was why Harry felt so guilty and annoyed with himself; that was like his daughter storming away from the room when she was losing the argument. For Harry, that was an inexcusable show of immaturity.

"So what are you going to do about it?" He finally asked the troubled teen, who seemed absorbed in his thoughts.

"I don't know." Harry replied, sounding hopelessly lost. Ted rolled his eyes and smacked Harry's shoulder, jolting him. "Why don't you just explain why you were so upset to Merlin, and talk it over with him?

"Will he even listen to me?" Harry asked out loud, and Ted resisted the urge to shake Harry, knowing that he would not take it well. But really, he was usually such a confident individual, all it took was for the mere idea of Merlin not accepting him for Harry to get all bent out of shape.

"Then call him, right now." He urged, and when Harry looked like he was going to refuse, he huffed before grabbing Harry around the waist and picking him up with an indignant protest from said boy. He took a few steps then deposited him in the control chair, which lit up as soon as he landed inside it. Inwardly he smirked, glad that his parents had insisted on him playing recreational rugby during the summer breaks.

"Call Merlin." Ted urged, and his expression brooked no argument.

With an indignant scowl, Harry did so, and Merlin answered, his stern face softening for just a moment before hardening again. "What is it Harry?"

"I...I wanted to apologize for what I said." Harry started, only for Merlin to scoff slightly.

"There is no need for you to apologize Harry, my actions were rash, even if I thought they were warranted at the time."

Ted left the room, holding his tea in his hand and smiling as Harry started to argue that it still didn't excuse his behavior.

"You were upset Harry." Merlin admonished, looking almost embarrassed as he added. "And trust me, I did far worse things to my parents when I was your age. The fact you were angry about something like this, though admittedly naïve, should have been expected with how little experience you have in matters of war. The things I have seen..." Merlin trailed off and suppressed a shiver before he looked directly into Harry's eyes.

"I am not, and will never be truly angry with you Harry, not unless you become like one of the Goa'uld and use our advanced technology to enslave other races."

Harry rubbed at his eyes slightly even as his throat suddenly felt thick. He was embarrassed that he was reacting like this, but also happy that Merlin hadn't rejected him like he had thought. "I promise you that I would never even think of it." He swore, then whispered. "Ta amo patri."

Merlin gave him a soft smile. "Ta amo filios."

Harry shut off the communicator once Merlin nodded to him, feeling as if a great weight had come off of his chest. He couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face as he looked out of the window. The view before him seemed even more beautiful after the weight of his worry had lifted from him.

After admiring the scenery for a few moments, he shook his head and then left the room to go thank Ted. He felt like an idiot for being so afraid to talk to Merlin again, but he was glad that the older man had forced him to do so.

For the first time in over two weeks, he felt content.

* * *

January 4th, 1995

The first day of term began, and there were more than a few glances at Andrew as he walked through the halls, this time because he had not attended the Yule Ball.

Harry, though he didn't show it, was nearly bouncing inside. Mainly it was because he had 'made up' for lack of a better term with Merlin, but the fact that the Goblet was continuously under scans and had all the adult wizards onboard the Hermes, along with Merlin, trying to decipher it, and he was confident that they'd have his brother out of the tournament by April at the latest, which was a good thing.

They entered the Great Hall, and Harry couldn't help but give Dumbledore a smirk as his gaze flickered over to him and Andrew. The man had no idea that Harry had the real Goblet of Fire in his possession nor that Andrew would soon be far out of his reach, for good this time thanks to the man's oath.

And the best part was that because he had used his telepathy, there would be no detectable signs of tampering like there were with the various memory altering charms available to the wizards.

Harry sat down in their customary spot, feeling a sense of contentment, rare for him in this place, fill him as he ate his meal. It lasted until the headmistress, and technically Andrew's head of house, approached their table stiffly, as if she did not want to be there at all. Harry let down the shield with a sigh, while Andrew gave her a curious and apprehensive look.

"The headmaster would like to see you about your...less than stellar academic performance, and your lack of participation in the Yule Ball." She stated, lips pursed.

The two of them shared an exasperated look. "He does know that Andrew is only on your school rosters so the Goblet doesn't try to kill him?" Harry asked her sardonically. "And didn't we already go over the fact that Andrew wasn't required to go to the ball?"

Her face might as well be set in stone for how little it changed. "He expects you in his office directly after breakfast." And with that she nearly stalked away, ignoring his questions.

"Well that was rude." Harry murmured, then smiled as he said. "So I guess you have a free period, you want to go run the obstacle course again?"

Andrew gave his brother an amused look at the idea of giving the Old headmaster's nose a firm tweak. "Better than being attacked by plants I suppose." he replied nonchalantly, and moved back to his breakfast, eating at leisurely pace.

* * *

The transfiguration professor was not amused when she stalked up to them at lunch, her nostrils flaring to the point that she looked like a rampaging rhino.

"The headmaster tells me that you did not go up to his office, nor to your herbology class Mr. Potter." she accused.

"I don't understand why I have to go, I mean all he's going to do when I go there is try and guilt trip me into doing better in my classes, then after a few minutes I'll leave and nothing will happen; it's just a waste of time for the both of us." Andrew replied, and Harry had to control his face to keep from showing his amusement.

The headmistress stiffened further. Inwardly Harry wondered how that was even possible."The headmaster told me that if you do not pick up your class grades, then he will have no choice to expel you."

The laughter vanished from Harry's eyes in an instant. "Your headmaster said this?"

"If you do not believe me you will have to ask him yourself." McGonagall sniffed, then left their table at a brisk pace, leaving Harry seething and Andrew worried.

* * *

"I can't believe that man! He said that you had to participate in the tournament as one of the schools right?" James exclaimed and Andrew nodded mutely.

"We'll just have to step up our timetable then..." Lily said, turning to her husband. "Do you know if the Potter vaults held any time turners James?"

Harry and Merlin gave equally confused looks to each other before looking at Andrew for an explanation, who shrugged, just as confused as they were.

James had a considering look on his face, then shook his head. "I don't think so, but I'll check the ledgers the goblins gave us just in case."

Andromeda, seeing their looks, gave a subtle shake of her head. "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of them, they are close to a national secret, only the Unspeakables from the department of Mysteries are known to have them, along with the eldest of the wizarding families."

"But what are they?" Harry asked.

"They allow a person to go back in time, the majority of them only allowing up to six hours at the most ." She stated calmly, and Harry looked at Merlin with an near twinkle in his eyes that signified he was getting a new idea.

"Do you have any spares?" He asked, wondering if they would be able to replicate such an item. The ancients themselves had created a way to go back ten hours, but the problem was that doing so trapped the entire region of space in a time loop; it was the main reason that the Lanteans were so against time manipulation technology. But if they could figure out how the magicals had done it, and replicate the effects...

"They are dangerous however, because you may still run into your past self if you are not careful." Andromeda warned.

Harry gave her a distracted nod, but was still imagining the multitude of possibilities...for one thing, if there was another attack on one of their colonies, they would be able to appear almost instantly, by going back in time and journeying to the place that was attacked before the attackers could even get there.

James returned with a rolled up piece of parchment and handed it over to Lily, who was startled when Harry levitated the parchment and scanned it, then displayed it against the wall using the projectors on his suit.

"I forgot about that." Lily murmured, then asked Harry to search for the term "time" He nodded and pushed the request through the suit, and watched as the entire scroll seemed to zoom out until it was a long, thin rectangle projected against the wall. A second later, small areas of the scroll were highlighted, and Harry had the projector zoom in on them, reading them too fast for most of the wizards to even understand the letters.

"Nothing..." He murmured disappointedly. "Most of the objects were either described as timeless or some such...but there was a very old book on Chronomancy, the magic of time..." He said, and the two Potters looked at each other in slight confusion.

James shrugged to himself. "I don't know half the things that we have in our vaults, but I'll go look for it."

Andromeda frowned for a moment, as if she were trying to remember something. "Sirius, didn't House Black have its own time turners?"

"I don't think so." Sirius said evasively.

"Sirius." Andromeda warned.

The man looked a bit sheepish as he admitted that he had no idea, because he had never paid attention in the lessons that his family had given him on their history, etiquette, and house artifacts and heirlooms.

Andromeda had an exasperated look on her face before she pointed out of the room. Sirius quickly left to go look for his vault ledger as well.

* * *

January 15th

As it turned out, House Black did have time turners, which were promptly put to use by the wizards to double the amount of time per day they spent on the Goblet of Fire. Harry had been roped into shopping duty, mainly for potions (Pepper up and other energy replenishers, mental focusing, and anything else that would help the wizards work better).

If it wasn't for the fact that Andromeda had worked as a healer in St. Mungo's , Harry would have been worried about them overdosing or collapsing from the amount of effort they were putting in, but the witch acted as a sort of watchdog for the others, telling them when they had done enough for that day and stopping them if they did not listen.

But the results of all this were more than promising. With the help of the Hermes, the enchantments on the Goblet had been completely mapped out for the wizards to examine, and they were quickly identifying the different aspects of the Goblet that they recognized. Lily was confident that with judicious use of the time turners they would be able to crack the Goblet by the end of March at the latest.

Andrew would have to participate in the second task, but with the scans of every inch of the lake Harry had taken, he would be more than able to find whatever it was that was 'taken' from him very quickly, even more so with the suit augmenting his strength and speed. Harry had taken to training both himself and his brother without the suits in the training room, in an effort to build their muscle mass instead of relying solely on the suits to the point of weakening their own muscles.

Andrew, under the threat of being expelled(which still made Harry angry whenever he thought about it) had started doing more of the work in the classes, if only to appear that he was making an effort to do better. His spellcasting, much to the annoyance and confusion of his classmates, was far more powerful than any wizarding child should be, thanks to the amplifying armbands incorporated into his suit. This, along with the shield that stood up to _dragon fire_, made the population of the school revere him as the next Merlin, which made Harry crack up every time he heard it, and Andrew scowl.

It was interesting for Harry to note that the Hogwarts' champion, Diggory, seemed to be going out of his way to cool the hostility that his house was showing towards Andrew. Maybe he was trying to atone for his actions with Andrew? If he was, then Harry appreciated the gesture, but did not mention his observations to his brother, as he still believed Diggory had nothing to do with him being left in the Forbidden Forest a little over two years ago.

* * *

January 31

Gringotts Britain

"How is progress coming on the beginning fortifications?" Harry asked once the King was seated in front of him.

Since it was a Sunday, Andrew had no reason to be seen by the rest of the school, and so Harry had asked that he stay on the ship for the day so that he could go talk to the goblins.

"Our architects tell me that they are doing well, and that the next group of more specialized builders can start going through your Stargate within a few days." The king stated proudly, and Harry gave him a nod. "Good."

King Ragnok gave the young man in front of him a long once over. Normally Harry looked very bright and cheerful, but at the moment he looked like he wasn't getting enough sleep. "Is something bothering you Mr. Emrys?"

Harry tried not to be surprised at how easily the goblin king read him, but it was still disconcerting. He sighed lowly before he asked. "Have you heard of the Goblet of Fire?"

The king's eyes narrowed slightly as he tapped his claws along his cheek, trying to remember...Goblet of Fire...oh was that the piece the wizards had commissioned so long ago for their tournament? The goblin who had been tasked with it had taken particular glee in the wizards' ignorance of wards and enchantments at the time; and had made the conditions for backing out of the tournament that it was enchanted for quite nasty, his own little revenge against the wizards for treating his people so badly. It was made long before the bank had ever been formed, and the clan that had made it was nearly extinct except for a few elderly members.

"Unfortunately, I do know of that artifact, it was created and enchanted by a goblin." The king stated with a grimace. Harry's expression brightened considerably.

"If it's not to presumptuous to ask..." Harry trailed off when the king nodded. "You are wondering if the clan whose member made the artifact still exists?"

"Yes."

The king made a small gesture on his desk, and only a few seconds later what looked like a messenger came running in, a young one at that.

"Ask the recordkeepers for records of any living members of the Snout clan." He commanded, and the goblin gave a sharp bow before disappearing from the room.

Harry muttered the name Snout under his breath, trying to remember where he'd heard a name with it before. Instead he asked if the names of clan members were based off of their clan name.

"They are, but only those of the males, the females of the clans have names that are more...poetic is the word I would use." He stated, then shifted as the messenger came running back into the room with a scroll, bowed while offering the scroll with his two hands holding it outward. Ragnok took the scroll and gave the messenger a short bow, and the messenger left the room before closing the door shut behind him.

"This is a record of all members of the Snout clan, known for their metalwork and especially their highly powered enchantments...I believe you met one of them in Guldvak." the king stated from where he was looking at the scroll.

"Is there any way I can contact him?" Harry asked politely.

"You may contact him, but I doubt that he would be interested in coming all the way here if there was nothing in it for him." Ragnok stated with a slight grin.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Even with him helping them locate to a new world, some Goblins were too entrenched in their ways to care. Though it was irritating in a way, Harry was also glad; he would hate to have the goblins bowing and scraping at his feet for helping them. He just wanted to help them because it was the right thing to do, even if they never acknowledged it.

"Then I will have to discuss payment with him for his services if he decides to help me." He murmured, then rose from his seat and bowed. "Thank you for assisting me with this issue King Ragnok, I hope that your enemies will cower before you."

"May your travels bring you riches beyond imagining." The King replied with a deeper bow than he had given to the messenger, but nowhere near enough for Harry to be considered his equal. It didn't bother Harry though. Goblins were rather proud.

* * *

Thanks to the difference in time zones he arrived at Gringotts New Orleans at a much earlier time; they were just opening actually.

He nodded to the guards as he entered, politely waiting his place in line until the magicals in front of him were lead to their vaults.

When it was his turn he stated his account manager's name and was led to Sharptooth's office. With an appropriate bow he dismissed the goblin that escorted him and knocked on the door. "Enter!" Sharptooth's voice barked, and he pushed open the door.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, it has been a long time since I have seen you." The goblin greeted and Harry gave him a half smile. Despite the fact that he considered Merlin his father, not James Potter, his account manager insisted on calling him by the name he had been given at birth.

"Current unfortunate events have restricted my time." Harry answered, and the goblin's eyebrow ticked upward in question.

"I'm assuming that you know about the wizards' Triwizard tournament?" He asked.

Sharptooth gave him a considering look, and not five seconds later stated. "Your brother has been forced into the tournament."

"Yes."

"Then what is it you are seeking here? A cursebreaker?"

"No...I was hoping to speak to a member of the clan who created the Goblet of Fire, to see if he might know how it works."

Now both of the goblin's eyebrows were up. "The wizards know that you have their Goblet in custody?"

"No, Albus Dumbledore still thinks that he has it hidden in a desk in his office."

Sharptooth gave him an approving smile before standing up. "I expect that you already know which clan had created the Goblet in the past?

Harry nodded, and his account manager looked satisfied. "Then I will escort you to Guldvak, please follow me Mr. Potter."

* * *

Harry returned to Hogwarts several hours later, near dinner time when it had been around lunch in New Orleans.

"Where were you?" Andrew nearly demanded as soon as he got back and Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Finding out if the goblins could release you from the Goblet, and it appears that yes, one of the goblins whose clan made it are willing to do so in exchange for a personal selection of precious materials which I was just going to ask Merlin to retrieve." Harry stated admonishingly.

Andrew flushed as Harry's eyes bored into his own."Sorry, its just I've been stuck in here all day, and I didn't really want to go through the obstacle course again. It gets rather boring after a while." He gulped when he saw the predatory look come over Harry's face. He hadn't meant it as a challenge!

"It's getting boring, you say?" Harry mused out loud, absently silencing his brother when he looked like he was going to protest. "I think that I can fix that."

If Andrew had been able to speak at that moment, he would have moaned in apprehension. He was so dead.

* * *

Author's note:

A bit on the shorter side, sorry. In case anyone was wondering, the latin sounding words that Harry and Merlin said to each other mean. "I love you father", and "I love you son" respectively.

Before anyone asks, I used the riddle from the golden egg in my now discontinued and deleted story Heir of Atlantis because I really felt bad about leaving my readers hanging with the second task, which will be done here. I am willing to leave that story for adoption if anyone wants it, I just couldn't stick with it any more, the plotline just wasn't working.

Posted: 9/28/13


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